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Kaewai Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

170^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 17% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Kaewai Elementary School is a public elementary school in Honolulu, Hawaii, serving grades PK-5 with 258 students. While part of the highly-ranked Hawaii Department of Education district, Kaewai Elementary has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Hawaii elementary schools over the past 10 years.

Kaewai Elementary faces significant challenges, with low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students. In the 2023-2024 school year, only 27.54% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 50%. In math, only 35.71% were proficient, versus 53% statewide. The school also has very high chronic absenteeism rates, reaching 36% in the 2024-2025 school year, much higher than nearby schools. Additionally, 82.17% of Kaewai Elementary students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2023-2024, significantly higher than the 29-88% range at nearby schools.

However, Kaewai Elementary's proximity to several higher-performing schools, such as Major General William R Shafter Elementary, which ranked 34th out of 207 Hawaii elementary schools in 2023-2024, suggests potential opportunities for collaboration and resource sharing. Additionally, the school has shown some bright spots in its subgroup performance, with Hispanic students ranking 1st out of 165 Hawaii elementary schools in ELA and Pacific Islander students ranking 120th out of 196 schools in the 2023-2024 school year.

257

Students ?

12.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,403

Per pupil spending ?

80.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1929 Kamehameha IV Rd
Honolulu, HI 96819

(808) 832-3500

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Kaewai Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Governor Sanford B Dole Middle School
High:	Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:

58.0%

Asian:

26.8%

Two or more races:

9.3%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Kaewai Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 2nd percentile in 2015 → 17th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 15 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (17th percentile)

!Near the bottom of Hawaii Department of Education's ranking

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school30%

170^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Bottom 17%▲ up 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 2% (2015) to bottom 17% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

159^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	18.5	170 of 204	16.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	25.8	160 of 207	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.3	169 of 195	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	12.1	176 of 193	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.0	170 of 196	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	28.1	147 of 196	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	28.5	149 of 193	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	35.0	149 of 207	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	27.0	150 of 195	23.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	7.0	190 of 194	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	24.1	169 of 196	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	19.2	178 of 195	8.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2011	15.4	178 of 191	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	18.0	163 of 183	10.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	8.3	182 of 191	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	22.5	164 of 192	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	35.5	131 of 194	32.5%	★★☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	57.8	109 of 203	46.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	54.8	62 of 123	49.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.5	140 of 198	29.3%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	98.8	1 of 165	99.4%	★★★★★

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	52.7	53 of 110	51.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	44.9	120 of 196	38.8%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	27.5	173 of 207	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆

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)99th percentile+77 vs school

Pacific Islander (2025)52nd percentile+35 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)50th percentile+33 vs school

Asian (2024)46th percentile+24 vs school

Special Education (2024)16th percentile-6 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

Science34%

English Language Arts33%

Mathematics24%

5.0

1 rating

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2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Kaewai 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
Kaewai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1929 Kamehameha IV Rd	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3500	257	21	12.2	80.9%	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (5.4%)	69 (26.8%)	0 (0.0%)	149 (58.0%)	24 (9.3%)	18.5	170^th of 204 public elementary schools	16.7%		25.8	160^th of 207 public elementary schools	22.7%	10	34.0	33.0	24.0	$18,403	$1,847	$16,556
Kalihi Uka Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2411 Kalihi St	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3310	249	15	16.6	69.1%	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (7.2%)	137 (55.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (24.9%)	31 (12.4%)	64.8	87^th of 204 public elementary schools	57.4%		71.2	77^th of 207 public elementary schools	62.8%	10	54.0	56.0	51.0	$18,128	$1,896	$16,232
Linapuni Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-1	1434 Linapuni St	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3303	121	10	12.1	86.8%	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.1%)	2 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	103 (85.1%)	9 (7.4%)								(n/a)				$22,013	$1,530	$20,483
Kapalama Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1601 North School St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3290	476	37	12.8	56.3%	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	58 (12.2%)	291 (61.1%)	0 (0.0%)	50 (10.5%)	74 (15.5%)	70.5	75^th of 204 public elementary schools	63.2%		80.1	53^rd of 207 public elementary schools	74.4%	22	59.0	54.0	59.0	$15,866	$1,539	$14,327
Kalihi Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2471 Kula Kolea Dr	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3177	183	18	10.1	75.4%	3 (1.6%)	0 (0.0%)	26 (14.2%)	39 (21.3%)	0 (0.0%)	99 (54.1%)	16 (8.7%)	34.7	136^th of 204 public elementary schools	33.3%		19.4	175^th of 207 public elementary schools	15.5%	39	43.0	42.0	34.0	$19,044	$2,060	$16,984
Kalihi Waena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1240 Gulick Ave	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3210	432	31	14.1	65.3%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.5%)	180 (41.7%)	0 (0.0%)	192 (44.4%)	45 (10.4%)	20.8	164^th of 204 public elementary schools	19.6%		33.4	147^th of 207 public elementary schools	29.0%	17	30.0	37.0	29.0	$17,807	$1,789	$16,018
Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1121 Middle St	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3040	384	32	12.0	74.0%	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	16 (4.2%)	126 (32.8%)	0 (0.0%)	199 (51.8%)	42 (10.9%)	20.5	165^th of 204 public elementary schools	19.1%		27.3	159^th of 207 public elementary schools	23.2%	6	28.0	32.0	34.0	$17,487	$1,896	$15,591
Major General William R Shafter Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2 Fort Shafter	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 832-3560	380	28	13.5	25.8%	133 (35.0%)	56 (14.7%)	93 (24.5%)	23 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	10 (2.6%)	65 (17.1%)	77.8	56^th of 204 public elementary schools	72.5%		87.5	34^th of 207 public elementary schools	83.6%	22	49.0	70.0	67.0	$16,290	$787	$15,503
Lanakila Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	717 North Kuakini St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 587-4466	287	22	13.0	67.2%	6 (2.1%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (5.2%)	147 (51.2%)	0 (0.0%)	94 (32.8%)	25 (8.7%)	71.5	71^st of 204 public elementary schools	65.2%		69.8	80^th of 207 public elementary schools	61.4%	9	50.0	59.0	66.0	$17,018	$1,898	$15,120
Kalihi Kai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	626 McNeill St	Honolulu	96817	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3322	533	39	13.6	64.7%	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (5.4%)	378 (70.9%)	0 (0.0%)	88 (16.5%)	38 (7.1%)	50.4	108^th of 204 public elementary schools	47.1%		62	89^th of 207 public elementary schools	57.0%	19	41.0	51.0	49.0	$17,912	$1,974	$15,938

Frequently Asked Questions about Kaewai Elementary School

Is Kaewai Elementary School a good school?

Kaewai Elementary School ranks in the bottom 16.7% of Hawaii elementary schools.

What is the racial makeup of Kaewai Elementary School?

Students at Kaewai Elementary School are 58% Pacific Islander, 27% Asian, 9% Two or more races, 5% Hispanic.

What district is Kaewai Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

How many students attend Kaewai Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 257 students attended Kaewai Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Kaewai Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Governor Sanford B Dole Middle School
High : Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High 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.