Kapaa Middle School

Kapaa Middle School is a public middle school located in Kapaa, Hawaii, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 523 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.

While the Kapaa Middle School has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Hawaii middle schools over the past several years, ranking between 38th and 77th out of 67-89 schools, and maintains a 1-2 star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger, the school performs better for African American and Special Education student groups, ranking in the top 30-40% of Hawaii middle schools. However, the school's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics are significantly below the state averages, with only 32-38% of students proficient in ELA and 16-17% proficient in Mathematics. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate, ranging from 30-35% in recent years, which is significantly higher than the state average.

In comparison, the closest middle school to Kapaa Middle School, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, consistently outperforms Kapaa Middle School in academic achievement, ranking in the top 25-30% of Hawaii middle schools and maintaining a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger. Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School also has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (28%) compared to Kapaa Middle School. Addressing the challenges faced by Kapaa Middle School, such as high chronic absenteeism and low academic achievement, through targeted interventions and collaboration with higher-performing schools in the district could be crucial for improving the school's performance and providing a better educational experience for its students.