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Kaunakakai Elementary School

Q: Is Kaunakakai Elementary School a good school?

Kaunakakai Elementary School ranks 144 th of 204 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

144^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Kaunakakai Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Kaunakakai, Hawaii, serving grades PK-6 with a total enrollment of 274 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.

Despite being part of a highly-ranked district, Kaunakakai Elementary School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Kaunakakai Elementary School over the past 8 years, ranging from 120th to 163rd out of 193-207 schools. The school has maintained a 2-star rating out of 5 for most years, with a 1-star rating in 2020-2021 and 2018-2019. While the school performs exceptionally well for Asian and White students, it struggles with English Language Learner (ELL) and Special Education (SPED) student performance. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science are consistently below the state averages, with the largest gaps in Mathematics and Science.

Kaunakakai Elementary School also faces challenges with a significantly higher chronic absenteeism rate compared to the state, as well as a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 74.71% to 78.1% in recent years. Interestingly, the nearby schools, Maunaloa Elementary School and Kilohana Elementary School, also struggle with low performance, ranking in the bottom half of Hawaii elementary schools. While Kualapuu School, a public charter school located about 5 miles away, performs slightly better than Kaunakakai Elementary in ELA and Mathematics, it still falls below the state averages.

282

Students ?

14.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$19,132

Per pupil spending ?

78.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

30 Ailoa St
Kaunakakai, HI 96748

(808) 533-1730

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Kaunakakai Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Molokai Middle School
High:	Molokai High School

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:

65.6%

Two or more races:

17.0%

Hispanic:

11.7%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Kaunakakai Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 32nd percentile in 2015 → 29th in 2025

Worth a look

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school38%

144^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 3 pts since 2015

From bottom 32% (2015) to bottom 29% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

136^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	32.2	144 of 204	29.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.5	143 of 207	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.9	127 of 195	34.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	39.0	120 of 193	37.8%	★★☆☆☆
2021	20.6	160 of 196	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.8	157 of 196	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.8	163 of 193	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	40.7	137 of 207	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	23.6	154 of 195	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	35.1	131 of 194	32.5%	★★☆☆☆
2013	47.4	111 of 196	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2012	46.7	115 of 195	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	34.6	145 of 191	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	48.2	105 of 183	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2009	56.9	80 of 191	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2007	31.9	143 of 192	25.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	21.6	169 of 194	12.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	96.8	2 of 203	99.0%	★★★★★

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	45.0	137 of 198	30.8%	★★☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	78.7	54 of 196	72.4%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	23.9	134 of 153	12.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	55.9	102 of 207	50.7%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	94.4	7 of 202	96.5%	★★★★★

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)

Asian (2024)99th percentile+68 vs school

White (2024)97th percentile+66 vs school

Pacific Islander (2024)72nd percentile+42 vs school

English Language Learner (2024)31st percentile~ school

Special Education (2025)12th percentile-17 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%

Mathematics40%

Science30%

★

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Schools Near Kaunakakai 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
Kaunakakai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	30 Ailoa St	Kaunakakai	96748	Maui County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 533-1730	282	19	14.8	78.4%	7 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (11.7%)	9 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	185 (65.6%)	48 (17.0%)	32.2	144^th of 204 public elementary schools	29.4%		36.5	143^rd of 207 public elementary schools	30.9%	1	30.0	44.0	40.0	$19,132	$2,084	$17,048
Kualapuu School - Public Conversion Charter	Public, Charter	PK, KG-6	260 Farrington Hwy	Kualapuu	96757	Maui County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 567-6900	291	30	9.7	84.9%	10 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.4%)	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	258 (88.7%)	10 (3.4%)	17	173^rd of 204 public elementary schools	15.2%		38.9	135^th of 207 public elementary schools	34.8%	38	20.0	28.0	35.0	$10,671	$2,401	$8,270
Kilohana Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	Kamehameha V Hwy	Kaunakakai	96748	Maui County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 558-2200	80	9	8.8	88.8%	3 (3.8%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (12.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (72.5%)	9 (11.3%)	10.9	186^th of 204 public elementary schools	8.8%		27.5	157^th of 207 public elementary schools	24.2%	29	18.0	34.0	20.0	$24,576	$2,398	$22,178
Maunaloa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	128 Maunaloa Hwy	Maunaloa	96770	Maui County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 552-2000	49	6	8.1	75.5%	1 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (65.3%)	9 (18.4%)	13.3	180^th of 204 public elementary schools	11.8%		23.8	164^th of 207 public elementary schools	20.8%	16		29.0	25.0	$34,064	$6,927	$27,137

Frequently Asked Questions about Kaunakakai Elementary School

Is Kaunakakai Elementary School a good school?

Kaunakakai Elementary School ranks 144^th of 204 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Kaunakakai Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 282 students attended Kaunakakai Elementary School.

What district is Kaunakakai Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

What schools do graduates of Kaunakakai Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Molokai Middle School
High : Molokai High School

What is the racial makeup of Kaunakakai Elementary School?

Students at Kaunakakai Elementary School are 66% Pacific Islander, 17% Two or more races, 12% Hispanic, 3% Asian, 2% White.

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Schools in Kaunakakai, 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.