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Waimea Canyon Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
62nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 85 Hawaii Middle Schools
Better than 27% of Hawaii middle schools
Summary

Waimea Canyon Middle School is a public middle school in Waimea, HI, serving 467 students in grades 6–8 as part of the Hawaii Department of Education, and it ranks 62nd of 85 Hawaii middle schools in 2025–26 — the 27th percentile, with a 1-star rating. The school has mostly been a 1-star school; its best recent year in the provided history was 2016–17, when it reached the 38th percentile and 2 stars. Lately, though, its percentile rank has climbed steadily: 11th percentile in 2022–23, 18th in 2023–24, 21st in 2024–25, and 27th in 2025–26. It remains in the bottom third of the state.

The nearest same-district comparison in the data is Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School in Lihue, about 18.21 miles away, which serves grades 6–8 with 826 students. It ranks 21st of 85 in 2025–26 — the 75th percentile, with 4 stars — a 48-percentile-point gap. Waimea Canyon trails in every tested subject: in 2025–26, ELA was 39% versus 58%, math 22% versus 47%, and science 23% versus 35%. Waimea's own trend shows real gains in ELA (25% in 2022–23 to 39% in 2025–26) and science (13.38% in 2023–24 to 23% in 2025–26), but math has been nearly flat (19% to 22%), and the math gap widened from 20 points in 2024–25 to 25 points in 2025–26.

Notably, Waimea Canyon does not appear disadvantaged relative to Chiefess Kamakahelei in attendance, class size, or spending: chronic absenteeism was 25.0% versus 28.0% in 2024–25, the student–teacher ratio 13.3 versus 14.0, and per-student spending $15,564 versus $14,792 in 2018–19 (the only year provided). Its free/reduced-lunch rate was modestly higher at 54.39% versus 50.97%. The school's subgroup effectiveness rankings, however, are a major concern: English Language Learner students rank 47th of 48 (2nd percentile, 0 stars) in 2025–26, and low-SES, Pacific Islander, Asian, and White students all fall in the bottom 11th–16th percentile. Note that spending data are old, and no subgroup ranks were provided for the comparison school, so these findings are directional. Families should keep these caveats in mind.

467
Students ?
13.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
54.4%
Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?
 9555 Huakai Rd
       Waimea, HI  96796

(808) 338-6830

District: Hawaii Department of Education


Students who attend Waimea Canyon Middle School usually attend:

High:    Waimea High School

Feeder schools for Waimea Canyon Middle School:

Elementary:    Eleele Elementary School
    Kekaha Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:
25.9%
Asian:
25.7%
Two or more races:
24.4%
more
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 Compare Waimea Canyon Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 23rd percentile in 2016 → 27th in 2026
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school28%
62nd of 85
Hawaii public middle schools ?
Bottom 27%▲ up 4 pts since 2016
From bottom 23% (2016) to bottom 27% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Middle 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
202615.962 of 8527.1%★☆☆☆☆
202512.666 of 8421.4%★☆☆☆☆
202412.473 of 8918.0%★☆☆☆☆
202313.865 of 7311.0%★☆☆☆☆
202217.162 of 7213.9%★☆☆☆☆
202117.061 of 7316.4%★☆☆☆☆
201924.053 of 7024.3%★☆☆☆☆
201823.653 of 6720.9%★☆☆☆☆
201722.151 of 8237.8%★★☆☆☆
201623.956 of 7323.3%★☆☆☆☆
201520.159 of 7218.1%★☆☆☆☆
201330.756 of 7626.3%★☆☆☆☆
201229.955 of 7324.7%★☆☆☆☆
201146.936 of 7149.3%★★★☆☆
201064.821 of 6567.7%★★★★☆
200946.635 of 6848.5%★★★☆☆
200851.620 of 4656.5%★★★☆☆
200751.331 of 7156.3%★★★☆☆
200664.419 of 6972.5%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202431.654 of 7123.9%★☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20264.749 of 5612.5%★☆☆☆☆
202514.744 of 5520.0%★☆☆☆☆
202426.164 of 8726.4%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20269.847 of 482.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202512.846 of 5211.5%★☆☆☆☆
202416.168 of 8116.0%★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202430.847 of 6830.9%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.572 of 8414.3%★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202612.947 of 5311.3%★☆☆☆☆
202520.940 of 5223.1%★☆☆☆☆
202416.571 of 8112.3%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202424.071 of 8920.2%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202612.863 of 7516.0%★☆☆☆☆
20257.465 of 7412.2%★☆☆☆☆
202413.878 of 869.3%★☆☆☆☆
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 (2024)31st percentile+13 vs school
African American (2024)24th percentile+6 vs school
Special Education (2024)20th percentile~ school
White (2026)16th percentile-11 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)14th percentile-13 vs school
Asian (2026)12th percentile-15 vs school
Pacific Islander (2026)11th percentile-16 vs school
English Language Learner (2026)2nd percentile-25 vs school
By subject vs Hawaii (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts39%
Science23%
Mathematics22%

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Waimea Canyon Middle School

Students at Waimea Canyon Middle School are 26% Pacific Islander, 26% Asian, 24% Two or more races, 20% Hispanic, 3% White.

Waimea Canyon Middle School ranks 62nd of 85 Hawaii middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 467 students attended Waimea Canyon Middle School.

Students who attend Waimea Canyon Middle School usually go on to attend Waimea High School

Rate Waimea Canyon Middle School!



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Schools in Waimea, 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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