Pohakea Elementary School

Pohakea Elementary School is a PK–6 school at 91-750 Fort Weaver Rd in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, enrolling 493 students as part of the Hawaii Department of Education, and it is the smallest school among the eleven nearby schools compared here. For 2025-26 it ranked 78th of 203 Hawaii elementary schools — the 62nd percentile, with 3 stars — placing it solidly above the middle and well ahead of where it sat a decade ago, when it hovered near the 42nd percentile.

Most notable is how Pohakea compares with its closest neighbors. Ewa Beach Elementary School, about a third of a mile away, posts lower results in every subject — 48% versus 57% in English language arts, 36% versus 52% in math, and 33% versus 53% in science. Kaimiloa Elementary School, roughly the same distance away and serving a similar student population, also trails Pohakea in all three subjects. Among the schools in this group with the highest low-income enrollment, Pohakea leads by 13 to 25 points in English language arts. Its scores also held after a large one-year jump in 2023-24, though the past two years have been flat to slightly softer.

The school stands out most with the students it serves most intensively: English Language Learner and low-income students rank well above Pohakea's own overall standing, and several of the specific student groups it serves are among the strongest in the state. The clearest opportunity is attendance — 35% of students are chronically absent, third highest among these schools and roughly three times the rate at Holomua Elementary School. Staffing is a relative strength, with 14 students per teacher (second lowest in the group), and per-student spending of $14,823 (2018-19) is third lowest — a lean profile producing mid-pack results.