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Kainalu Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6
46th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 203 Hawaii Elementary Schools
Better than 77% of Hawaii elementary schools
Summary

Kainalu Elementary School is a PK–6 school at 165 Kaiholu St in Kailua, on the windward side of Oʻahu, serving 559 students within the statewide Hawaii Department of Education. Its enrollment is the second-largest among the eleven Kailua and Kāneʻohe schools compared here.

In 2025–26 Kainalu Elementary School ranked 46th of 203 Hawaiʻi elementary schools (77th percentile, 4 stars), holding 4 stars every year on record. That puts it fourth locally, at the bottom edge of the top tier — behind Ka'ohao Public Charter School (94), Enchanted Lake Elementary School (92) and Kaelepulu Elementary School (89), but ahead of Maunawili Elementary School (76), Aikahi Elementary School (72) and Mokapu Elementary School (57), even though Aikahi is less than a mile away. Science is a relative strength at 69% proficiency (third-best locally), while math (55%) is the clear weak point, down 15 points since 2022–23; reading fell 10 over the same span. The school has also slipped from its 2022–23 peak of 22nd of 195, though several nearby schools declined too.

Attendance is a genuine asset: chronic absenteeism is 11.0%, improved from 14.5%, tied for fourth-best locally and far below the 21–26% seen at Kailua Elementary School, Keolu Elementary School, Puohala Elementary School and Reverend Benjamin Parker Elementary School. Classes are comparatively large at 15.1 students per teacher, yet Kainalu outperforms schools with similar or smaller classes. About 17% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and spending was $17,045 per student (2018–19, the most recent figure available). Special education and English learner outcomes have been uneven and bear watching.

559
Students ?
15.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
17%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 165 Kaiholu St
       Kailua, HI  96734

(808) 266-7835

District: Hawaii Department of Education


Students who attend Kainalu Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:    Kailua Intermediate School
High:    Kalaheo High School
Racial breakdown:

White:
41.9%
Two or more races:
25.6%
Hispanic:
19.5%
more
 See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

 Compare Kainalu Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 81st percentile in 2016 → 77th in 2026
Strengths
✓Ranks in the top 23% of Hawaii elementary schools
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school63%
46th of 203
Hawaii public elementary schools ?
Top 23%▼ down 3 pts since 2016
From top 19% (2016) to top 23% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 1Hawaii Department of Education among Hawaii districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202682.446 of 20377.3%★★★★☆
202583.740 of 20480.4%★★★★☆
202488.729 of 20786.0%★★★★☆
202388.322 of 19588.7%★★★★☆
202285.428 of 19385.5%★★★★☆
202183.332 of 19683.7%★★★★☆
201976.544 of 19677.6%★★★★☆
201880.135 of 19381.9%★★★★☆
201784.243 of 20779.2%★★★★☆
201675.538 of 19580.5%★★★★☆
201585.328 of 19485.6%★★★★☆
201376.536 of 19681.6%★★★★☆
201275.041 of 19579.0%★★★★☆
201176.436 of 19181.2%★★★★☆
201065.256 of 18369.4%★★★★☆
200954.687 of 19154.5%★★★☆☆
200864.648 of 14667.1%★★★☆☆
200769.051 of 19273.4%★★★★☆
200666.850 of 19474.2%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202481.144 of 16072.5%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202626.6103 of 13020.8%★☆☆☆☆
202527.6105 of 12516.0%★☆☆☆☆
202465.393 of 20354.2%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202456.1112 of 19843.4%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202593.02 of 1788.2%★★★★★
202493.721 of 16587.3%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202683.738 of 20281.2%★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202482.041 of 19679.1%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202641.7103 of 15533.5%★★☆☆☆
202573.036 of 15376.5%★★★★☆
202468.874 of 20764.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202674.749 of 17371.7%★★★★☆
202577.045 of 17173.7%★★★★☆
202480.740 of 20280.2%★★★★☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Hispanic (2025)88th percentile+8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)81st percentile+4 vs school
Pacific Islander (2024)79th percentile-7 vs school
African American (2024)72nd percentile-13 vs school
White (2026)72nd percentile-6 vs school
English Language Learner (2024)43rd percentile-43 vs school
Special Education (2026)34th percentile-44 vs school
Asian (2026)21st percentile-57 vs school
By subject vs Hawaii (2025-2026) ?
Science69%
English Language Arts65%
Mathematics55%

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Frequently Asked Questions about Kainalu Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 559 students attended Kainalu Elementary School.

Kainalu Elementary School ranks 46th of 203 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Kainalu Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kailua Intermediate School
High : Kalaheo High School

Students at Kainalu Elementary School are 42% White, 26% Two or more races, 19% Hispanic, 9% Pacific Islander, 4% Asian.

Rate Kainalu Elementary School!



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Schools in Kailua, HI

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Latest Hawaii data All new data »
2025–26 graduation ratesSep 19, 2026
2025–26 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresSep 19, 2026
2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 18, 2025
2024–25 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresSep 18, 2025


SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Hawaii State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.

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