1. Home
  2. Hawaii
  3. Lihue
  4. Hawaii Department of Education
  5. Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School

Public Grades 6-8
27th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 84 Hawaii Middle Schools
Better than 68% of Hawaii middle schools
Summary

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School is a public middle school located in Lihue, Hawaii, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 846 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.

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School has consistently outperformed the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics across all grade levels, with a 55.09% ELA proficiency rate compared to the state average of 52% and a 46.46% Mathematics proficiency rate compared to the state average of 39-52% across grade levels in the 2023-2024 school year. However, the school's Science proficiency rates, as measured by the Hawaii State Assessment (HSA), have been lower than the state average, with the 8th-grade Science proficiency rate at 34% compared to the state average of 41% in 2023-2024. The school has shown varying performance across different student subgroups, ranking relatively high for Asian and White students but lower for African American, Pacific Islander, and English Language Learner students. The school's ranking for Special Education students is relatively strong, placing 22nd out of 59 Hawaii middle schools in the 2024-2025 school year.

Compared to the nearby Waimea Canyon Middle School and Kapaa Middle School, Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School outperforms in academic proficiency rates for ELA and Mathematics, but all three schools have relatively low Science proficiency rates compared to the state average. Waimea Canyon Middle School and Kapaa Middle School have higher rates of chronic absenteeism, at 25.0% and 35.0% respectively, compared to Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School's 28.0% in the 2024-2025 school year. The nearby schools also have higher percentages of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, with Waimea Canyon Middle School at 59.18% and Kapaa Middle School at 49.14%, compared to Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School's 47.99%.

826
Students ?
14.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,792
Per pupil spending ?
51%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 4431 Nuhou St
       Lihue, HI  96766

(808) 241-3200

District: Hawaii Department of Education


Students who attend Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School usually attend:

High:    Kauai High School

Feeder schools for Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School:

Elementary:    Elsie H Wilcox Elementary School
    Kalaheo Elementary School
    King Kaumualii Elementary School
    Koloa Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

Two or more races:
26.4%
Asian:
26.2%
Hispanic:
19.6%
more
 See top rated Hawaii middle schools

 Compare Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School to nearby middle schools!
At a glance
▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 60th percentile in 2015 → 68th in 2025
Strengths
✓Ranking is trending up — up 8 percentile points since 2015
✓Above the Hawaii median (68th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school44%
27th of 84
Hawaii public middle schools ?
Top 32%▲ up 8 pts since 2015
From top 40% (2015) to top 32% (2025)
See the entire ranking list of Hawaii Middle Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
18th of 40Middle 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)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202544.527 of 8467.9%★★★★☆
202458.823 of 8974.2%★★★★☆
202363.121 of 7371.2%★★★★☆
202250.928 of 7261.1%★★★☆☆
202159.323 of 7368.5%★★★★☆
201958.125 of 7064.3%★★★☆☆
201862.921 of 6768.7%★★★★☆
201735.530 of 8263.4%★★★☆☆
201657.825 of 7365.8%★★★☆☆
201547.629 of 7259.7%★★★☆☆
201344.539 of 7648.7%★★★☆☆
201261.922 of 7369.9%★★★★☆
201151.928 of 7160.6%★★★☆☆
201071.412 of 6581.5%★★★★☆
200969.216 of 6876.5%★★★★☆
200872.99 of 4680.4%★★★★☆
200772.913 of 7181.7%★★★★☆
200662.821 of 6969.6%★★★★☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202443.543 of 7139.4%★★☆☆☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202539.628 of 5549.1%★★★☆☆
202459.328 of 8767.8%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202520.035 of 5232.7%★★☆☆☆
202431.341 of 8149.4%★★★☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202452.629 of 6857.4%★★★☆☆

Pacific Islander

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202531.830 of 5242.3%★★☆☆☆
202423.460 of 8125.9%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202537.222 of 5962.7%★★★☆☆
202449.629 of 8967.4%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankHawaii percentileRating
202539.033 of 7455.4%★★★☆☆
202457.229 of 8666.3%★★★☆☆
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)63rd percentile-5 vs school
Hispanic (2024)57th percentile-17 vs school
White (2025)55th percentile-12 vs school
Asian (2025)49th percentile-19 vs school
Pacific Islander (2025)42nd percentile-26 vs school
African American (2024)39th percentile-35 vs school
English Language Learner (2025)33rd percentile-35 vs school
By subject vs Hawaii (2024-2025) ?
English Language Arts54%
Mathematics43%
Science34%

★
No ratings yet
Be the first to rate Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School and help other families decide.
Rate Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School
Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.
Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.
Tap a star to rate
Reviews
No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.


Schools Near Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School








Frequently Asked Questions about Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School

Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School ranks 27th of 84 Hawaii middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 826 students attended Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School.

Students who attend Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School usually go on to attend Kauai High School

Students at Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School are 26% Two or more races, 26% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 20% Pacific Islander, 8% White.


Rate Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School!



Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...


Compare to nearby schools

HIHawaii Middle School Rankings

HIHawaii District Rankings

Schools in Lihue, HI

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School!




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.




Diagnostics

None retrieved from Database in 134 milliseconds.