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Honaunau Elementary School

Q: Is Honaunau Elementary School a good school?

Honaunau Elementary School ranks 78 th of 204 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

78^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Honaunau Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Captain Cook, Hawaii, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 145 students. The school is part of the Hawaii Department of Education district, which is ranked 1 out of 1 in the state and rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Honaunau Elementary School has seen fluctuating statewide rankings and ratings over the past several years, ranging from 78th out of 204 Hawaii elementary schools in 2024-2025 to 190th out of 196 in 2020-2021, with a SchoolDigger rating that has varied from 3 stars out of 5 to 0 stars out of 5. The school performs particularly well in certain student subgroups, such as Asian students and special education students, but struggles with others, like Pacific Islander students and English Language Learners. Academically, the school's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments and Hawaii State Assessments have been mixed, ranging from 55% in English Language Arts, 57% in Mathematics, and 56% in Science in 2024-2025 to as low as 13% in English Language Arts and 6% in Mathematics in 2020-2021.

Honaunau Elementary School faces several challenges, including high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching 28.5% in 2023-2024 and 24% in 2024-2025, and a student population with a high percentage of free or reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 76.55% in 2023-2024 to 86.96% in 2022-2023. Compared to nearby schools, such as Innovations - PCS and Holualoa Elementary School, Honaunau Elementary School's performance is generally lower, but it outperforms Kealakehe Elementary School, the largest school in the area.

148

Students ?

13.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,198

Per pupil spending ?

93.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

83-5360 Mamalahoa Hwy
Captain Cook, HI 96704

(808) 328-2727

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Honaunau Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Konawaena Middle School
High:	Konawaena High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

41.2%

Pacific Islander:

27.0%

Two or more races:

16.2%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Honaunau Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 48th percentile in 2015 → 62nd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 14 percentile points since 2015

✓Above the Hawaii median (62nd percentile)

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school56%

78^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Top 38%▲ up 14 pts since 2015

From bottom 48% (2015) to top 38% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

76^th of 182Elementary Schools in the Hawaii Department of Education

1^st 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	68.6	78 of 204	61.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	67.9	84 of 207	59.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	36.8	125 of 195	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	17.4	167 of 193	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	7.5	190 of 196	3.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	26.5	152 of 196	22.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	40.0	120 of 193	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2017	45.7	121 of 207	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2016	31.2	144 of 195	26.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	48.8	101 of 194	47.9%	★★☆☆☆
2013	33.6	150 of 196	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	42.7	123 of 195	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	66.1	57 of 191	70.2%	★★★★☆
2010	64.9	59 of 183	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	77.2	30 of 191	84.3%	★★★★☆
2007	51.4	98 of 192	49.0%	★★☆☆☆
2006	47.4	97 of 194	50.0%	★★★☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	74.2	63 of 203	69.0%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	39.9	86 of 123	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	59.5	108 of 198	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	62.2	74 of 165	55.2%	★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	39.0	136 of 196	30.6%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	86.2	34 of 207	83.6%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	60.1	78 of 171	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2024	46.1	129 of 202	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2024)84th percentile+24 vs school

Asian (2024)69th percentile+10 vs school

Hispanic (2024)55th percentile-4 vs school

White (2025)54th percentile-7 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)31st percentile-29 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)30th percentile-32 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics57%

Science56%

English Language Arts55%

5.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a teacher
Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Honaunau Elementary School is an excellent school. The teachers are warm and caring. Academics are rigorous and engaging. The school has an amazing garden program and the students are provided project-based learning opportunities regularly. The score given by this site is misleading. Close Quote

Schools Near Honaunau Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				HSA Science (2025)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	HSA Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Honaunau Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	83-5360 Mamalahoa Hwy	Captain Cook	96704	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 328-2727	148	11	13.4	93.2%	18 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (41.2%)	5 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (27.0%)	24 (16.2%)	68.6	78^th of 204 public elementary schools	61.8%		67.9	84^th of 207 public elementary schools	59.4%	6	56.0	55.0	57.0	$18,198	$1,976	$16,222
Hookena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	86-4355 Mamalahoa Hwy	Captain Cook	96704	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 328-2710	98	7	14.0	65.3%	14 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (22.4%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (42.9%)	18 (18.4%)	35.7	133^rd of 204 public elementary schools	34.8%		24	163^rd of 207 public elementary schools	21.3%	30	25.0	46.0	46.0	$19,003	$1,241	$17,762
Konawaena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	81-901 Onouli Rd	Kealakekua	96750	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 323-4555	505	37	13.6	64.4%	49 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	172 (34.1%)	40 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	136 (26.9%)	106 (21.0%)	42.1	121^st of 204 public elementary schools	40.7%		45.3	129^th of 207 public elementary schools	37.7%	8	41.0	41.0	48.0	$16,620	$1,851	$14,769
Kona Pacific - PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	79-7595 Mamalahoa Hwy	Kealakekua	96750	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 322-4900	177	18	10.1	62.7%	82 (46.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (26.6%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (5.6%)	34 (19.2%)	25.2	160^th of 204 public elementary schools	21.6%		46.3	125^th of 207 public elementary schools	39.6%	35	28.0	41.0	34.0	$9,540	$1,357	$8,183
Holualoa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	76-5957 Mamalahoa Hwy	Holualoa	96725	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 322-4800	438	24	18.2	47.7%	96 (21.9%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (29.2%)	31 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (13.5%)	124 (28.3%)	65.6	86^th of 204 public elementary schools	57.8%		48.6	117^th of 207 public elementary schools	43.5%	31	57.0	54.0	52.0	$15,490	$1,362	$14,128
Kahakai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	76-147 Royal Poinciana Dr	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 327-4313	507	35	14.4	56.4%	60 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (22.9%)	65 (12.8%)	1 (0.2%)	174 (34.3%)	91 (17.9%)	38.1	129^th of 204 public elementary schools	36.8%		32.1	149^th of 207 public elementary schools	28.0%	20	42.0	44.0	38.0	$15,424	$1,299	$14,125
Innovations - PCS	Public, Charter	K-8	75-5815 Queen Kaahumanu Hwy	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 331-3130	241	14	17.2	42.7%	74 (30.7%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (19.5%)	19 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.9%)	82 (34.0%)	76.7	59^th of 204 public elementary schools	71.1%		74.5	71^st of 207 public elementary schools	65.7%	12	64.0	66.0	50.0	$8,835	$951	$7,884
Kealakehe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	74-5118 Kealakaa St	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 327-4308	924	64	14.5	68.2%	53 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	181 (19.6%)	78 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	446 (48.3%)	166 (18.0%)	8.5	195^th of 204 public elementary schools	4.4%		12.9	191^st of 207 public elementary schools	7.7%	4	17.0	22.0	23.0	$15,425	$1,328	$14,097

Frequently Asked Questions about Honaunau Elementary School

How many students attend Honaunau Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 148 students attended Honaunau Elementary School.

Is Honaunau Elementary School a good school?

Honaunau Elementary School ranks 78^th of 204 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What is the racial makeup of Honaunau Elementary School?

Students at Honaunau Elementary School are 41% Hispanic, 27% Pacific Islander, 16% Two or more races, 12% White, 3% Asian.

What district is Honaunau Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

What schools do graduates of Honaunau Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Konawaena Middle School
High : Konawaena High School

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Schools in Captain Cook, HI

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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.