Lokelani Intermediate School

Lokelani Intermediate School is a public middle school serving grades 6–8 at 1401 Liloa Dr in Kihei, on the south side of Maui, and it enrolls 486 students within the Hawaii Department of Education, the state's single statewide district.

For 2025-2026, Lokelani Intermediate School earned 2 of 5 stars, ranking 47th of 85 ranked Hawaii middle schools (45th percentile). Its students scored 44% proficient in English language arts, 29% in math, and 37% in science. That marks a real but partial recovery. The school sat at the 73rd percentile a decade ago, then slid to the 23rd percentile by 2022-2023 before climbing back over four consecutive years. The most recent year produced the largest one-year gains of any nearby school: +6 points in ELA, +4 in math, +8 in science, and a +12-point jump in rank percentile — all three subjects improving together rather than just one.

Resources don't appear to be the limiter. Lokelani spends the second-most per student of its peer group (about $16,430) and has the second-smallest classes (13.5 students per teacher, down from 18.8), yet ranks third of five behind Iao Intermediate School and Maui Waena Intermediate School, both of which spend less and run larger classes. Samuel Enoka Kalama Intermediate School posts identical ELA and math scores (44% and 29%) and nearly identical spending, but its science proficiency is 27% versus Lokelani's 37%, and it is drifting downward while Lokelani improves. The clearest gap against top performer Maui Waena is attendance: 32.0% of Lokelani students are chronically absent, compared with 22.0%. Support for higher-need students has improved sharply — special education results rose from the 31st to the 78th statewide percentile — while English learners and several other groups remain in the bottom quartile.