Summary:
ZIP code 96732 in Kahului, Hawaii, contains one public middle school — Maui Waena Intermediate School — serving grades 6–8 with 1,015 students as part of the Hawaii Department of Education. Because it is the only middle school in the area, there are no local schools to compare it with; the most useful context comes from how it ranks against middle schools across the state.
Maui Waena has been moving up in statewide rankings. In 2023–2024 it ranked 40th of 89 schools (55th percentile, 3 stars). By 2024–2025 it was 30th of 84 (64th percentile, 3 stars), and in 2025–2026 it reached 26th of 85 — the 69th percentile with 4 stars, placing it in the top third of ranked Hawaii middle schools. That is a gain of 14 percentile points and 14 rank positions over two years, plus an added star. At the subject level, English Language Arts is the strongest area at 52% proficient and has held steady from 2024–2025 to 2025–2026. Science improved from 42% to 49% proficient, the only subject showing measurable growth. Mathematics is the weakest area at 34% proficient and flat year over year — 18 points below ELA and 15 points below Science, making it the clearest opportunity for improvement.
Families should also weigh some non-academic factors. Chronic absenteeism was 22.0% in 2024–2025, meaning roughly one in five students missed enough school to fall into that category — a real barrier to learning. About 48.67% of students qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and the student-teacher ratio was 14.7, which suggests a moderate staffing level on paper although it does not capture class sizes or student needs. The only spending figure available is $15,404 per student from 2018–2019, which is too old to reflect current funding. Overall, the school's direction is positive, with strong ranking momentum and Science gains, while Math achievement and absenteeism are the areas to watch.
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