Summary
Kawaikini - NCPCS is an alternative K–12 public school in Lihue, Hawaii, serving 177 students as part of the Hawaii Department of Education, with its nearest comparison schools located roughly 13 to 20 miles away.
Academically, Kawaikini is the strongest of its nearby alternatives where data are available. In 2025–26, 22% of students were proficient in ELA, 28% in math, and 42% in science — well ahead of Kanuikapono - PCS, which reported 11% ELA, 7% math, and 12% science. Kula Aupuni Niihau A Kahelelani Aloha - NCPCS reported 5% in math, with its ELA and science results suppressed by the state, and Niihau High & Elementary School had no test-score data provided. Kawaikini's results have climbed over recent years: math rose from 19% in 2024–25 to 28% in 2025–26, and science from 16% to 42%, though small class sizes can make year-to-year changes swing widely. The earlier science figure was labeled differently, so that trend should be read with caution. Its 2023–24 graduation rate was 90.9%, above Kanuikapono's 83.3% but below the 100% reported by Kula and Niihau — schools with only 35 and 13 students, so those rates may be less stable.
Chronic absenteeism is Kawaikini's clearest challenge: 28.0% in 2024–25, an improvement from 32.3% the year before, but far above Kanuikapono's 1.0% and Niihau's 8.3%; only Kula's 36.0% was higher. About 65.54% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25, up from 61.9% and 56.95% in prior years, suggesting growing economic need. The student/teacher ratio is 9.8 — higher than Kula (7.0) and Kanuikapono (7.9), but lower than Niihau (13.0). Reported per-student spending was $9,276 in 2018–19, the lowest in the group, though that figure is old and should not be treated as current.
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