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Waiakea Intermediate School

Public Grades 6-8
29th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 84 Hawaii Middle Schools
Better than 65% of Hawaii middle schools
Summary

Waiakea Intermediate School is a public middle school located in Hilo, Hawaii, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 854 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.

While Waiakea Intermediate School has maintained a consistent 3-star rating from SchoolDigger over the past several years, its academic performance varies compared to nearby schools. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts and Mathematics are higher than Keaau Middle School, but lower than the higher-ranked Hilo Intermediate School. Additionally, Waiakea Intermediate School's Science proficiency rates have been consistently lower than the state average. One area of concern is the school's high chronic absenteeism rate, which is significantly higher than the nearby Hilo Intermediate School.

Despite these challenges, Waiakea Intermediate School has shown strong performance in certain student subgroups, such as Asian and Hispanic students, who have ranked among the top schools in the state in recent years. However, the school's performance for other subgroups, such as Pacific Islander and White students, as well as English Language Learners and Special Education students, has been relatively lower compared to other subgroups. The school's diverse student population and socioeconomic status may contribute to these variations in academic performance.

857
Students ?
15.4
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,206
Per pupil spending ?
49.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 200 W Puainako St
       Hilo, HI  96720

(808) 981-7231

District: Hawaii Department of Education


Students who attend Waiakea Intermediate School usually attend:

High:    Waiakea High School

Feeder schools for Waiakea Intermediate School:

Elementary:    Waiakea Elementary School
    Waiakeawaena Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

Two or more races:
28.0%
Pacific Islander:
26.6%
Hispanic:
23.7%
more
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At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Rebounding — 51st percentile in 2022 → 65th in 2025
Strengths
✓Ranking is rebounding — up to 65th (2025) from a 51st-percentile low (2022)
✓Above the Hawaii median (65th percentile)
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school43%
29th of 84
Hawaii public middle schools ?
Top 35%▼ down 8 pts since 2015
From top 26% (2015) to top 35% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
19th of 40Middle Schools in the Hawaii Department of Education
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
202542.429 of 8465.5%★★★☆☆
202442.933 of 8962.9%★★★☆☆
202346.932 of 7356.2%★★★☆☆
202244.435 of 7251.4%★★★☆☆
202145.934 of 7353.4%★★★☆☆
201954.430 of 7057.1%★★★☆☆
201857.723 of 6765.7%★★★☆☆
201731.039 of 8252.4%★★★☆☆
201663.521 of 7371.2%★★★★☆
201563.519 of 7273.6%★★★★☆
201375.09 of 7688.2%★★★★☆
201264.920 of 7372.6%★★★★☆
201152.827 of 7162.0%★★★☆☆
201066.719 of 6570.8%★★★★☆
200958.625 of 6863.2%★★★☆☆
200854.318 of 4660.9%★★★☆☆
200759.422 of 7169.0%★★★★☆
200671.514 of 6979.7%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202468.012 of 7183.1%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202552.315 of 5572.7%★★★★☆
202458.229 of 8766.7%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202525.025 of 5251.9%★★★☆☆
202431.939 of 8151.9%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202579.53 of 2085.0%★★★★☆
202477.09 of 6886.8%★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202538.123 of 5255.8%★★★☆☆
202436.943 of 8146.9%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202530.325 of 5957.6%★★★☆☆
202435.152 of 8941.6%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202538.834 of 7454.1%★★★☆☆
202438.347 of 8645.3%★★☆☆☆
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)85th percentile+20 vs school
African American (2024)83rd percentile+20 vs school
Asian (2025)73rd percentile+7 vs school
Special Education (2025)58th percentile-8 vs school
Pacific Islander (2025)56th percentile-10 vs school
White (2025)54th percentile-11 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)52nd percentile-14 vs school
By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts54%
Mathematics40%
Science34%

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Waiakea Intermediate School

Waiakea Intermediate School ranks 29th of 84 Hawaii middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Students who attend Waiakea Intermediate School usually go on to attend Waiakea High School

Students at Waiakea Intermediate School are 28% Two or more races, 27% Pacific Islander, 24% Hispanic, 16% Asian, 5% White.

In the 2024-25 school year, 857 students attended Waiakea Intermediate School.


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Schools in Hilo, 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.




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