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Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

165^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 19% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Honolulu, Hawaii, with 394 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.

Despite being part of a highly-ranked district, Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School has consistently struggled academically, ranking in the bottom quarter of Hawaii elementary schools over the past several years. The school has received a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating very low performance compared to other schools in the state. Additionally, the school has faced high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 23.0% to 33.4% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average. The school also serves a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 75.38% to 81.28% in recent years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

When compared to nearby elementary schools, such as Kapalama Elementary and Major General William R Shafter Elementary, Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School consistently underperforms. For example, in the 2023-2024 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts (34.91%) and Mathematics (33.18%) were significantly lower than the nearby schools. Addressing the underlying causes of the school's low academic performance, high chronic absenteeism, and socioeconomic challenges will be crucial for improving outcomes for all students.

384

Students ?

12.0

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,487

Per pupil spending ?

74%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1121 Middle St
Honolulu, HI 96819

(808) 832-3040

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	King David Kalakaua Middle School
High:	Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:

51.8%

Asian:

32.8%

Two or more races:

10.9%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 9th percentile in 2015 → 19th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2015

✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher

Worth a look

!In the lower quartile statewide (19th percentile)

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

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school31%

165^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Bottom 19%▲ up 10 pts since 2015

From bottom 9% (2015) to bottom 19% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

155^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	20.5	165 of 204	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.3	159 of 207	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	18.2	170 of 195	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	20.5	159 of 193	17.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	16.4	172 of 196	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	6.5	191 of 196	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	11.6	181 of 193	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	16.3	180 of 207	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	23.2	156 of 195	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	12.9	177 of 194	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2013	22.5	173 of 196	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	27.3	162 of 195	16.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	16.7	175 of 191	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.2	169 of 183	7.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	10.3	179 of 191	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	5.2	143 of 146	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	10.8	184 of 192	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	8.2	192 of 194	1.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	89.2	32 of 160	80.0%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	35.2	162 of 203	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	29.0	104 of 123	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	40.0	150 of 198	24.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	38.9	78 of 110	29.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.1	147 of 196	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2024	64.4	87 of 207	58.0%	★★★☆☆

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)80th percentile+57 vs school

Special Education (2024)58th percentile+35 vs school

Pacific Islander (2025)29th percentile+10 vs school

Asian (2024)20th percentile-3 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)15th percentile-4 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics34%

English Language Arts32%

Science28%

3.0

1 rating

5★0

4★0

3★1

2★0

1★0

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Schools Near Mayor Joseph J Fern 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
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
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
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
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
Puuhale Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	345 Puuhale Rd	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 832-3190	239	19	12.5	84.5%	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (9.6%)	68 (28.5%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (53.6%)	19 (7.9%)	46.2	114^th of 204 public elementary schools	44.1%		47.5	121^st of 207 public elementary schools	41.5%	7	55.0	48.0	32.0	$19,790	$2,507	$17,283
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
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
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
Moanalua Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	1337 Mahiole St	Honolulu	96819	Honolulu County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 831-7878	661	39	16.9	17.2%	59 (8.9%)	10 (1.5%)	80 (12.1%)	294 (44.5%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (6.4%)	176 (26.6%)	91	22^nd of 204 public elementary schools	89.2%		90.3	23^rd of 207 public elementary schools	88.9%	1	64.0	79.0	73.0	$14,796	$1,136	$13,660
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School

How many students attend Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 384 students attended Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School.

Is Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School a good school?

Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School ranks in the bottom 19.1% of Hawaii elementary schools.

What district is Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

What is the racial makeup of Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School?

Students at Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School are 52% Pacific Islander, 33% Asian, 11% Two or more races, 4% Hispanic.

What schools do graduates of Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : King David Kalakaua Middle School
High : Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School

Rate Mayor Joseph J Fern Elementary 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.