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Nanakuli Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6
193rd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools
Better than 5% of Hawaii elementary schools
Summary

Nanakuli Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-6 in Waianae, Hawaii, with 369 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 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Nanakuli Elementary consistently ranks in the bottom quarter of Hawaii elementary schools, with significantly below-average performance on standardized tests. In 2023-2024, only 18.09% of students were proficient in English Language Arts and 25.63% were proficient in Mathematics, compared to state averages of 50% and 53% respectively. The school also faces a chronic absenteeism crisis, with rates reaching 50% in the 2024-2025 school year, much higher than the state average.

While the nearby schools in the Kapolei area generally perform better academically, they still struggle with some of the same challenges as Nanakuli Elementary, such as high chronic absenteeism and socioeconomic disparities. This suggests that the issues facing Nanakuli Elementary are not isolated but rather reflect broader systemic challenges in the region. Addressing these issues will require a comprehensive, multi-faceted approach that considers the unique needs of the school's student population and the broader community context.

384
Students ?
13.2
Student/teacher ratio ?
$16,898
Per pupil spending ?
75.8%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 89-778 Haleakala Ave
       Waianae, HI  96792

(808) 668-5813

District: Hawaii Department of Education


Students who attend Nanakuli Elementary School usually attend:

High:    Nanakuli High & Intermediate School
Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:
69.8%
Hispanic:
18.2%
Two or more races:
9.6%
more
 See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

 Compare Nanakuli Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 12th percentile in 2015 → 5th in 2025
Worth a look
!In the lower quartile statewide (5th percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 7 percentile points since 2015
!Near the bottom of Hawaii Department of Education's ranking
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school20%
193rd of 204
Hawaii public elementary schools ?
Bottom 5%▼ down 6 pts since 2015
From bottom 12% (2015) to bottom 5% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
176th of 182Elementary 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
20259.2193 of 2045.4%☆☆☆☆☆
202414.5186 of 20710.1%★☆☆☆☆
202313.4178 of 1958.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202213.7173 of 19310.4%★☆☆☆☆
202120.0162 of 19617.3%★☆☆☆☆
201932.4134 of 19631.6%★★☆☆☆
201831.7142 of 19326.4%★☆☆☆☆
201725.6165 of 20720.3%★☆☆☆☆
201622.1161 of 19517.4%★☆☆☆☆
201516.3171 of 19411.9%★☆☆☆☆
201324.6168 of 19614.3%★☆☆☆☆
201229.8155 of 19520.5%★☆☆☆☆
201129.4156 of 19118.3%★☆☆☆☆
20106.8182 of 1830.5%☆☆☆☆☆
20096.2187 of 1912.1%☆☆☆☆☆
200815.0135 of 1467.5%☆☆☆☆☆
200715.4177 of 1927.8%☆☆☆☆☆
200626.0160 of 19417.5%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202497.61 of 16099.4%★★★★★

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202436.8155 of 20323.6%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20240.0184 of 1987.1%☆☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202495.020 of 16587.9%★★★★☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202467.476 of 19661.2%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20240.0183 of 20711.6%☆☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20245.4198 of 2022.0%☆☆☆☆☆
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)
African American (2024)99th percentile+89 vs school
Hispanic (2024)88th percentile+78 vs school
Pacific Islander (2024)61st percentile+51 vs school
Asian (2024)24th percentile+14 vs school
Special Education (2024)12th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2024)7th percentile-3 vs school
White (2024)2nd percentile-8 vs school
By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?
Mathematics26%
English Language Arts18%
Science16%

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a teacher
Monday, August 29, 2011

Open Quote The team of teachers, staff, custodians, librarian, and principal are all committed to students being independent thinkers for the challenges of the future. Everyone uses evaluation of students to revise instruction to meet student needs. Students are our only resource. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Nanakuli Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Nanakuli Elementary School.

Nanakuli Elementary School ranks in the bottom 5.4% of Hawaii elementary schools.

Students at Nanakuli Elementary School are 70% Pacific Islander, 18% Hispanic, 10% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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

High : Nanakuli High & Intermediate School


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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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