Honokaa Elementary School

Honokaa Elementary School is a small public school in Honokaa, HI, serving 378 students in grades PK–6 as part of the Hawaii Department of Education. About 52.91% of its students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, down from 56.91% the year before and 59.85% in 2022–23.

Academically, Honokaa has generally ranked in the mid-to-low range statewide. After a difficult 2024–25 — the 18th percentile and 1 star — the school rebounded in 2025–26 to the 32nd percentile and 2 stars, with proficiency of 42% in ELA, 36% in math, and 42% in science. Math has trailed ELA in every recent year, while science has swung widely: 45.28% in 2023–24, 21% in 2024–25, then 42% in 2025–26. Chronic absenteeism rose to 34.0% in 2024–25 from 30.9%, and the student-teacher ratio was 18.9. The most recent per-student spending figure available is $15,018 (2018–19).

The closest comparable school, Waimea Elementary School, is 13.86 miles away in the same district, serves 474 students in grades PK–5, and posted higher proficiency and state rankings in every recent comparison, though the gap narrowed in 2025–26. Waimea's free/reduced lunch rate (54.01%) is similar to Honokaa's, yet its student-teacher ratio is lower (14.3 vs 18.9) and its per-student spending higher ($17,475 vs $15,018). One notable bright spot for Honokaa: its effectiveness ranking for Pacific Islander students reached the 92nd percentile with 5 stars in 2023–24 — these rankings measure how well a school serves a given group. Its effectiveness rankings for English Language Learner students and students in special education fell in 2024–25 (20th percentile and 1 star, and 25th percentile and 1 star, respectively), with special education recovering to the 30th percentile and 2 stars in 2025–26.