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Connections - New Century PCS

Public, Charter, Alternative Grades K-12
190th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 203 Hawaii Alternative Schools
Better than 6% of Hawaii alternative schools
Summary

Connections - New Century PCS is an alternative public charter school at 174 Kamehameha Ave. in Hilo, Hawaii, serving 352 students in grades K–12 as part of the Hawaii Department of Education.

The latest data show a school with a high-need student population. Its graduation rate rose to 79.0% in 2024-25 from 65.7% the year before, but chronic absenteeism stayed essentially flat at 59.0% — by far the highest among nearby alternative schools, compared with 19.0% at Laupahoehoe Community - PCS, 25.0% at Hawaii Academy of Arts & Science PCS, 39.0% at Kua o ka La - NCPCS, and 29.0% at Ka Umeke Kaeo - PCS. In 2025-26, Connections posted the lowest ELA (21%) and math (10%) proficiency of the group; science was 29%, above Laupahoehoe's 19% but below HAAS (51%), Kua o ka La (46%), and Ka Umeke (36%). About 75.0% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the student-teacher ratio of 11.9 is the smallest among these schools.

Two comparisons stand out. HAAS serves a similarly high-poverty population (76.69% free/reduced lunch) yet reaches 89% graduation and much higher proficiency, while spending less per student ($9,655 vs. $10,316) and having a larger student-teacher ratio (15.5). The biggest observable difference is attendance. Ka Umeke, meanwhile, graduates 100% of students but shows only 27% ELA and 22% math proficiency — a reminder that graduation and academic mastery measure different things. Connections' own ELA scores have slid from 36% in 2022-23 to 21% in 2025-26, and math remains very low. The encouraging news is the improving graduation rate and small class sizes; the clearest opportunities are attendance support and targeted academic help.

352
Students ?
11.9
Student/teacher ratio ?
$10,316
Per pupil spending ?
75%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 174 Kamehameha Ave
       Hilo, HI  96720-2834

(808) 961-3664

District: Hawaii Department of Education

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:
34.4%
Hispanic:
24.7%
Two or more races:
21.0%
more
 See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

 Compare Connections - New Century PCS to nearby alternative schools!
At a glance
▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 32nd percentile in 2023 → 11th in 2026
Strengths
✓Small classes — about 12 students per teacher
Worth a look
!In the lower quartile statewide (6th percentile)
!Ranking has slipped — down 21 percentile points since 2023
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school20%
Elementary school
190th of 203
Hawaii public elementary schools ?
Bottom 6%▼ down 8 pts since 2016
From bottom 14% (2016) to bottom 6% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
76th of 85
Hawaii public middle schools ?
Bottom 11%▼ down 58 pts since 2016
From top 32% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
58th of 65
Hawaii public high schools ?
Bottom 11%▼ down 18 pts since 2016
From bottom 28% (2016) to bottom 11% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii High Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
14th of 15Alternative Schools in the Hawaii Department of Education
1st 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)
Elementary school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20268.6190 of 2036.4%☆☆☆☆☆
20257.1198 of 2042.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202424.4162 of 20721.7%★☆☆☆☆
202313.3179 of 1958.2%☆☆☆☆☆
20227.7188 of 1932.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202113.9174 of 19611.2%★☆☆☆☆
201926.1155 of 19620.9%★☆☆☆☆
201815.6173 of 19310.4%★☆☆☆☆
201715.2183 of 20711.6%★☆☆☆☆
201618.4167 of 19514.4%★☆☆☆☆
201523.6158 of 19418.6%★☆☆☆☆
201331.0158 of 19619.4%★☆☆☆☆
201241.9127 of 19534.9%★★☆☆☆
201134.6144 of 19124.6%★☆☆☆☆
201044.2117 of 18336.1%★★☆☆☆
200945.3120 of 19137.2%★★☆☆☆
200756.181 of 19257.8%★★★☆☆
200659.462 of 19468.0%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202430.1129 of 16019.4%★☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202418.5184 of 2039.4%☆☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202513.3118 of 1234.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202452.1120 of 19839.4%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202474.351 of 16569.1%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.9185 of 2028.4%☆☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202631.085 of 11526.1%★☆☆☆☆
20259.8106 of 1103.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202458.490 of 19654.1%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202512.0152 of 1530.7%☆☆☆☆☆
202445.8128 of 20738.2%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.5156 of 1739.8%★☆☆☆☆
20258.4161 of 1715.8%☆☆☆☆☆
202416.8190 of 2025.9%☆☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20268.676 of 8510.6%★☆☆☆☆
20257.177 of 848.3%☆☆☆☆☆
202424.454 of 8939.3%★★☆☆☆
202329.951 of 7330.1%★★☆☆☆
202216.863 of 7212.5%★☆☆☆☆
202124.458 of 7320.5%★☆☆☆☆
201941.239 of 7044.3%★★☆☆☆
201824.151 of 6723.9%★☆☆☆☆
201715.261 of 8225.6%★☆☆☆☆
201661.623 of 7368.5%★★★★☆
201557.622 of 7269.4%★★★★☆
201341.943 of 7643.4%★★☆☆☆
201255.032 of 7356.2%★★★☆☆
201131.950 of 7129.6%★★☆☆☆
201031.152 of 6520.0%★☆☆☆☆
200941.542 of 6838.2%★★☆☆☆
200743.737 of 7147.9%★★☆☆☆
200639.337 of 6946.4%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202430.156 of 7121.1%★☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202418.574 of 8714.9%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202513.345 of 5213.5%★☆☆☆☆
202452.119 of 8176.5%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202474.311 of 6883.8%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.970 of 8416.7%★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202631.027 of 5349.1%★★★☆☆
20259.851 of 521.9%☆☆☆☆☆
202458.422 of 8172.8%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202512.056 of 595.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202445.835 of 8960.7%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.562 of 7517.3%★☆☆☆☆
20258.464 of 7413.5%★☆☆☆☆
202416.873 of 8615.1%★☆☆☆☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
20268.658 of 6510.8%★☆☆☆☆
20257.154 of 6212.9%★☆☆☆☆
202424.447 of 6729.9%★★☆☆☆
202335.336 of 5332.1%★★☆☆☆
202224.940 of 5223.1%★☆☆☆☆
201927.639 of 5225.0%★☆☆☆☆
20183.552 of 531.9%☆☆☆☆☆
201715.247 of 6325.4%★☆☆☆☆
201635.338 of 5328.3%★★☆☆☆
201518.943 of 5115.7%★☆☆☆☆
201348.132 of 5642.9%★★☆☆☆
201221.051 of 5812.1%★☆☆☆☆
201126.448 of 5614.3%★☆☆☆☆
201025.845 of 5619.6%★☆☆☆☆
200953.226 of 5552.7%★★★☆☆
200758.628 of 6053.3%★★★☆☆
200633.644 of 5621.4%★☆☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202430.142 of 5523.6%★☆☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202418.558 of 6510.8%★☆☆☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202513.327 of 3318.2%★☆☆☆☆
202452.114 of 5976.3%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202474.310 of 5280.8%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.953 of 6417.2%★☆☆☆☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202631.018 of 3243.8%★★☆☆☆
20259.831 of 323.1%☆☆☆☆☆
202458.420 of 6167.2%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202512.037 of 382.6%☆☆☆☆☆
202445.834 of 6749.3%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202613.546 of 5313.2%★☆☆☆☆
20258.444 of 5113.7%★☆☆☆☆
202416.856 of 6412.5%★☆☆☆☆
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)
Elementary school
Hispanic (2024)69th percentile+47 vs school
Pacific Islander (2026)26th percentile+20 vs school
African American (2024)19th percentile~ school
White (2026)10th percentile+3 vs school
Asian (2024)9th percentile-12 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)8th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2025)4th percentile~ school
Special Education (2025)1st percentile~ school
Middle school
Hispanic (2024)84th percentile+44 vs school
Pacific Islander (2026)49th percentile+38 vs school
African American (2024)21st percentile-18 vs school
White (2026)17th percentile+7 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile+6 vs school
Asian (2024)15th percentile-24 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)13th percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2025)5th percentile-3 vs school
High school
Hispanic (2024)81st percentile+51 vs school
Pacific Islander (2026)44th percentile+33 vs school
African American (2024)24th percentile-6 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)18th percentile+5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)17th percentile+6 vs school
White (2026)13th percentile~ school
Asian (2024)11th percentile-19 vs school
Special Education (2025)3rd percentile-10 vs school
By subject vs Hawaii (2025-2026) ?
Science29%
English Language Arts21%
Mathematics10%

★
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Frequently Asked Questions about Connections - New Century PCS

In the 2024-25 school year, 352 students attended Connections - New Century PCS.

Connections - New Century PCS ranks in the bottom 6.4% of Hawaii alternative schools.

Students at Connections - New Century PCS are 34% Pacific Islander, 25% Hispanic, 21% Two or more races, 15% White, 3% Asian, 2% African American.

Rate Connections - New Century PCS!



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Latest Hawaii data All new data »
2025–26 graduation ratesNewSep 19, 2026
2025–26 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresNewSep 19, 2026
2024–25 attendance data & graduation ratesSep 18, 2025
2024–25 HSA & Smarter Balanced Assessments scoresSep 18, 2025


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.

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