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Kahakai Elementary School

Q: Is Kahakai Elementary School a good school?

Kahakai Elementary School ranks 129 th of 204 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

129^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 204 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Better than 37% of Hawaii elementary schools

Summary

Kahakai Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Kailua Kona, Hawaii, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 538 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 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Kahakai Elementary School has seen a decline in its statewide ranking over the past several years, dropping from a high of 67th out of 195 Hawaii elementary schools in 2015-2016 to 129th out of 204 in the most recent 2024-2025 school year. The school's star rating has also decreased from 3 stars in the earlier years to only 2 stars in the most recent 2024-2025 school year. Kahakai Elementary School performs particularly poorly in several student subgroups, ranking in the bottom 20% of Hawaii elementary schools for Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, and English Language Learner students. The school also has a high chronic absenteeism rate, reaching 31.0% in the 2024-2025 school year, which is significantly higher than the state average.

Kahakai Elementary School's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are all below the state averages, with the most recent 2024-2025 school year showing proficiency rates of 44%, 38%, and 42%, respectively. The school's performance is particularly low in 4th grade, where proficiency rates are around 24-26% in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, compared to the state averages of 50%. Kahakai Elementary School's performance is generally lower than the nearby Honaunau Elementary School and Innovations Public Charter School, which have higher statewide rankings, better test scores, and lower chronic absenteeism rates.

507

Students ?

14.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,424

Per pupil spending ?

56.4%

Free/discounted lunch ?

76-147 Royal Poinciana Dr
Kailua Kona, HI 96740

(808) 327-4313

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Students who attend Kahakai Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Konawaena Middle School
High:	Konawaena High School

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:

34.3%

Hispanic:

22.9%

Two or more races:

17.9%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Kahakai Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 61st percentile in 2015 → 37th in 2025

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 24 percentile points since 2015

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school41%

129^th of 204

Hawaii public elementary schools ?

Bottom 37%▼ down 24 pts since 2015

From top 39% (2015) to bottom 37% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

124^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	38.1	129 of 204	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.1	149 of 207	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	36.3	126 of 195	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	38.5	121 of 193	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	27.3	140 of 196	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.2	127 of 196	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	57.0	87 of 193	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2017	64.3	77 of 207	62.8%	★★★☆☆
2016	64.7	67 of 195	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	57.4	76 of 194	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.6	85 of 196	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2012	50.5	103 of 195	47.2%	★★☆☆☆
2011	30.8	149 of 191	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	24.7	149 of 183	18.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	19.1	166 of 191	13.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	19.9	128 of 146	12.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	27.1	154 of 192	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2006	24.2	167 of 194	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	21.6	109 of 125	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.5	182 of 203	10.3%	★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	30.0	103 of 123	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.8	170 of 198	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	14.6	16 of 17	5.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	122 of 165	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	29.5	87 of 110	20.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.8	165 of 196	15.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	45.8	94 of 153	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.7	104 of 207	49.8%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Hawaii percentile	Rating
2025	46.7	106 of 171	38.0%	★★☆☆☆
2024	55.4	110 of 202	45.5%	★★☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2025)39th percentile~ school

White (2025)38th percentile~ school

Pacific Islander (2025)21st percentile-16 vs school

English Language Learner (2025)16th percentile-21 vs school

Asian (2025)13th percentile-24 vs school

Hispanic (2025)6th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts44%

Science42%

Mathematics38%

★

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Schools Near Kahakai 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
Kahakai Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	76-147 Royal Poinciana Dr	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 327-4313	507	35	14.4	56.4%	60 (11.8%)	0 (0.0%)	116 (22.9%)	65 (12.8%)	1 (0.2%)	174 (34.3%)	91 (17.9%)	38.1	129^th of 204 public elementary schools	36.8%		32.1	149^th of 207 public elementary schools	28.0%	20	42.0	44.0	38.0	$15,424	$1,299	$14,125
Innovations - PCS	Public, Charter	K-8	75-5815 Queen Kaahumanu Hwy	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 331-3130	241	14	17.2	42.7%	74 (30.7%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (19.5%)	19 (7.9%)	0 (0.0%)	19 (7.9%)	82 (34.0%)	76.7	59^th of 204 public elementary schools	71.1%		74.5	71^st of 207 public elementary schools	65.7%	12	64.0	66.0	50.0	$8,835	$951	$7,884
Holualoa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	76-5957 Mamalahoa Hwy	Holualoa	96725	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 322-4800	438	24	18.2	47.7%	96 (21.9%)	0 (0.0%)	128 (29.2%)	31 (7.1%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (13.5%)	124 (28.3%)	65.6	86^th of 204 public elementary schools	57.8%		48.6	117^th of 207 public elementary schools	43.5%	31	57.0	54.0	52.0	$15,490	$1,362	$14,128
Kealakehe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	74-5118 Kealakaa St	Kailua Kona	96740	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 327-4308	924	64	14.5	68.2%	53 (5.7%)	0 (0.0%)	181 (19.6%)	78 (8.4%)	0 (0.0%)	446 (48.3%)	166 (18.0%)	8.5	195^th of 204 public elementary schools	4.4%		12.9	191^st of 207 public elementary schools	7.7%	4	17.0	22.0	23.0	$15,425	$1,328	$14,097
Kona Pacific - PCS	Public, Charter	PK, KG-8	79-7595 Mamalahoa Hwy	Kealakekua	96750	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 322-4900	177	18	10.1	62.7%	82 (46.3%)	0 (0.0%)	47 (26.6%)	3 (1.7%)	1 (0.6%)	10 (5.6%)	34 (19.2%)	25.2	160^th of 204 public elementary schools	21.6%		46.3	125^th of 207 public elementary schools	39.6%	35	28.0	41.0	34.0	$9,540	$1,357	$8,183
Konawaena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	81-901 Onouli Rd	Kealakekua	96750	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 323-4555	505	37	13.6	64.4%	49 (9.7%)	1 (0.2%)	172 (34.1%)	40 (7.9%)	1 (0.2%)	136 (26.9%)	106 (21.0%)	42.1	121^st of 204 public elementary schools	40.7%		45.3	129^th of 207 public elementary schools	37.7%	8	41.0	41.0	48.0	$16,620	$1,851	$14,769
Honaunau Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	83-5360 Mamalahoa Hwy	Captain Cook	96704	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 328-2727	148	11	13.4	93.2%	18 (12.2%)	0 (0.0%)	61 (41.2%)	5 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (27.0%)	24 (16.2%)	68.6	78^th of 204 public elementary schools	61.8%		67.9	84^th of 207 public elementary schools	59.4%	6	56.0	55.0	57.0	$18,198	$1,976	$16,222
Hookena Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	86-4355 Mamalahoa Hwy	Captain Cook	96704	Hawaii County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 328-2710	98	7	14.0	65.3%	14 (14.3%)	0 (0.0%)	22 (22.4%)	2 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	42 (42.9%)	18 (18.4%)	35.7	133^rd of 204 public elementary schools	34.8%		24	163^rd of 207 public elementary schools	21.3%	30	25.0	46.0	46.0	$19,003	$1,241	$17,762

Frequently Asked Questions about Kahakai Elementary School

Is Kahakai Elementary School a good school?

Kahakai Elementary School ranks 129^th of 204 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Kahakai Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Konawaena Middle School
High : Konawaena High School

How many students attend Kahakai Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 507 students attended Kahakai Elementary School.

What district is Kahakai Elementary School in?

Hawaii Department of Education

What is the racial makeup of Kahakai Elementary School?

Students at Kahakai Elementary School are 34% Pacific Islander, 23% Hispanic, 18% Two or more races, 13% Asian, 12% White.

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Schools in Kailua Kona, HI

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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.