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Pearl City Highlands School

Q: Is Pearl City Highlands School a good school?

Pearl City Highlands School ranks 52 nd of 203 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-6

52^nd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 203 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 74% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Pearl City Highlands School is a PK–6 elementary school in Pearl City, HI, serving 515 students as part of the Hawaii Department of Education, the state's single statewide district. It sits near the top of a cluster of generally strong Pearl City, Aiea, and Waipahu elementaries, with a decade of statewide rankings mostly in the 87th–93rd percentile and five-star ratings in six of ten recorded years. Its most recent year was its weakest relative showing — 74th percentile, 4 stars, 52nd of 203 schools — yet ELA and math proficiency both hit four-year highs (76% and 73%), ranking third in the cluster behind only Momilani Elementary School and Palisades Elementary School. The rank dip appears driven by a sharp, likely volatile science result: 45% this year, down from 84%, on a test given at a single grade level.

The school's quieter strengths are attendance and efficiency. Chronic absenteeism is 9.0%, second-lowest in the comparison group and six points below the group median — a leading indicator that pairs well with its academic results. It also spends less per student ($14,317) than any comparable school and has the third-highest student-teacher ratio (16.3), yet still produces top-three ELA and math scores. Neighboring schools with similar or higher poverty rates, such as Pearl City Elementary School and Waiau Elementary School, trail it by 13 to 26 points in ELA.

Subgroup results show where the school is genuinely effective: Pacific Islander students ranked in the 95th percentile statewide in two consecutive years, English learners placed at the 89th–96th percentile, and special education students climbed from the 61st to the 76th percentile. With 26.21% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, outcomes run well above what the cluster's typical pattern would predict. For families, the takeaway is a consistently high-performing, resource-efficient school; the things worth watching are whether the science score recovers and whether the composite rank returns to its usual 87th-percentile-or-better range next year.

515

Students ?

16.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

26.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1419 Waimanalo Home Rd
Pearl City, HI 96782

(808) 453-6470

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Pearl City Highlands School usually attend:

Middle:	Highlands Intermediate School
High:	Pearl City High School

Racial breakdown:

Asian:

41.9%

Two or more races:

27.4%

Hispanic:

16.1%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Pearl City Highlands School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 92nd percentile in 2016 → 74th in 2026

Strengths

✓Above the Hawaii median (74th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 18 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school65%

52^nd of 203

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Top 26%▼ down 17 pts since 2016

From top 8% (2016) to top 26% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

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
2026	79.5	52 of 203	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	93.2	15 of 204	92.6%	★★★★★
2024	89.9	25 of 207	87.9%	★★★★☆
2023	86.4	25 of 195	87.2%	★★★★☆
2022	87.4	24 of 193	87.6%	★★★★☆
2021	88.7	20 of 196	89.8%	★★★★★
2019	89.1	15 of 196	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	88.9	14 of 193	92.7%	★★★★★
2017	90.5	25 of 207	87.9%	★★★★☆
2016	90.1	16 of 195	91.8%	★★★★★
2015	90.1	14 of 194	92.8%	★★★★★
2013	86.8	20 of 196	89.8%	★★★★★
2012	87.8	9 of 195	95.4%	★★★★★
2011	91.6	11 of 191	94.2%	★★★★★
2010	82.1	23 of 183	87.4%	★★★★☆
2009	78.2	27 of 191	85.9%	★★★★☆
2008	69.6	31 of 146	78.8%	★★★★☆
2007	78.5	29 of 192	84.9%	★★★★☆
2006	77.5	32 of 194	83.5%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	86.4	35 of 160	78.1%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	76.1	33 of 130	74.6%	★★★★☆
2025	82.4	23 of 125	81.6%	★★★★☆
2024	80.3	43 of 203	78.8%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	92.8	13 of 116	88.8%	★★★★☆
2025	96.8	5 of 123	95.9%	★★★★★
2024	87.3	32 of 198	83.8%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	66.8	2 of 13	84.6%	★★★★★
2024	34.6	124 of 165	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	72.8	58 of 202	71.3%	★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	96.7	6 of 115	94.8%	★★★★★
2025	96.1	5 of 110	95.5%	★★★★★
2024	72.8	66 of 196	66.3%	★★★☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	73.5	37 of 155	76.1%	★★★★☆
2025	84.2	23 of 153	85.0%	★★★★☆
2024	66.0	81 of 207	60.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2026	72.7	54 of 173	68.8%	★★★★☆
2025	94.2	12 of 171	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	82.0	35 of 202	82.7%	★★★★☆

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)

Pacific Islander (2026)95th percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)89th percentile+14 vs school

Hispanic (2026)85th percentile+10 vs school

African American (2024)78th percentile-10 vs school

Special Education (2026)76th percentile~ school

Asian (2026)75th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile-3 vs school

White (2026)69th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts76%

Mathematics73%

Science45%

★

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Schools Near Pearl City Highlands School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				HSA Science (2026)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2026)	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2026)	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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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
Pearl City Highlands School	Public	PK, KG-6	1419 Waimanalo Home Rd	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 453-6470	515	32	16.3	26.2%	11 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	83 (16.1%)	216 (41.9%)	0 (0.0%)	64 (12.4%)	141 (27.4%)	79.5	52^nd of 203 public elementary schools	74.4%		93.2	15^th of 204 public elementary schools	92.6%	37	45.0	76.0	73.0	$14,317	$841	$13,476
Manana Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1147 Kumano St	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 453-6430	270	21	12.8	34.8%	6 (2.2%)	1 (0.4%)	48 (17.8%)	114 (42.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (11.5%)	70 (25.9%)	88.8	25^th of 203 public elementary schools	87.7%		95.9	11^th of 204 public elementary schools	94.6%	14	67.0	69.0	67.0	$17,645	$1,611	$16,034
Pearl City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1090 Waimano Home Rd	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 453-6455	396	32	12.3	50.3%	25 (6.3%)	14 (3.5%)	83 (21.0%)	114 (28.8%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (15.2%)	100 (25.3%)	87.2	29^th of 203 public elementary schools	85.7%		79.6	54^th of 204 public elementary schools	73.5%	25	75.0	63.0	65.0	$16,325	$1,300	$15,025
Waiau Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	98-450 Hookanike St	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 453-6530	498	34	14.6	49.6%	9 (1.8%)	4 (0.8%)	126 (25.3%)	73 (14.7%)	0 (0.0%)	142 (28.5%)	144 (28.9%)	68.1	75^th of 203 public elementary schools	63.1%		66.6	83^rd of 204 public elementary schools	59.3%	8	53.0	56.0	55.0	$16,633	$1,345	$15,288
Momilani Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2130 Hookiekie St	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 453-6444	412	24	17.5	16.5%	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (13.6%)	184 (44.7%)	0 (0.0%)	33 (8.0%)	134 (32.5%)	96.2	8^th of 203 public elementary schools	96.1%		97.9	3^rd of 204 public elementary schools	98.5%	5	76.0	80.0	76.0	$14,779	$976	$13,803
Lehua Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	791 Lehua Ave	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 453-6490	248	20	12.4	49.2%	20 (8.1%)	9 (3.6%)	46 (18.5%)	44 (17.7%)	0 (0.0%)	74 (29.8%)	55 (22.2%)	62.2	88^th of 203 public elementary schools	56.7%		60.5	93^rd of 204 public elementary schools	54.4%	5	70.0	50.0	41.0	$18,424	$1,746	$16,678
Waimalu Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	98-825 Moanalua Rd	Aiea	96701	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 483-7210	312	26	12.2	50.0%	8 (2.6%)	2 (0.6%)	55 (17.6%)	109 (34.9%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (24.0%)	63 (20.2%)	29.1	150^th of 203 public elementary schools	26.1%		34.5	137^th of 204 public elementary schools	32.8%	13	17.0	44.0	41.0	$18,370	$1,613	$16,757
Pearl Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	98-940 Moanalua Rd	Aiea	96701	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 483-7250	409	29	14.1	24.0%	21 (5.1%)	0 (0.0%)	71 (17.4%)	143 (35.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.8%)	134 (32.8%)	76.5	59^th of 203 public elementary schools	70.9%		81.7	48^th of 204 public elementary schools	76.5%	11	47.0	68.0	66.0	$14,945	$904	$14,041
Palisades Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2306 Auhuhu St	Pearl City	96782	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 453-6550	356	21	16.9	31.2%	12 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (23.6%)	79 (22.2%)	0 (0.0%)	78 (21.9%)	103 (28.9%)	94.1	12^th of 203 public elementary schools	94.1%		97.3	5^th of 204 public elementary schools	97.5%	7	72.0	77.0	72.0	$15,793	$1,100	$14,693
Kanoelani Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	94-1091 Oli Lp	Waipahu	96797	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 675-0195	735	52	14.1	37.1%	28 (3.8%)	3 (0.4%)	149 (20.3%)	277 (37.7%)	0 (0.0%)	97 (13.2%)	181 (24.6%)	88.4	27^th of 203 public elementary schools	86.7%		87.1	32^nd of 204 public elementary schools	84.3%	5	68.0	68.0	66.0	$14,806	$976	$13,830

Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl City Highlands School

How many students attend Pearl City Highlands School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 515 students attended Pearl City Highlands School.

What is the racial makeup of Pearl City Highlands School?

Students at Pearl City Highlands School are 42% Asian, 27% Two or more races, 16% Hispanic, 12% Pacific Islander, 2% White.

What district is Pearl City Highlands School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

What schools do graduates of Pearl City Highlands School attend?

Students who attend Pearl City Highlands School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Highlands Intermediate School
High : Pearl City High School

Is Pearl City Highlands School a good school?

Pearl City Highlands School ranks 52^nd of 203 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Pearl City Highlands School!

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Schools in Pearl City, HI

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Latest Hawaii data All new data »

2025–26 graduation ratesNewSep 19, 2026

2025–26 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewSep 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.