Summary:
ZIP code 96740 in Kailua Kona, on the west side of Hawaii Island, contains a single middle school: Kealakehe Intermediate School, a grades 6–8 campus with 677 students, part of the Hawaii Department of Education.
Because it is the only middle school in the ZIP, there is no local peer to compare it against, so the most useful comparisons are the school's own results across years. Science was its strongest single result in 2024-2025 at 41% proficient, though it fell 9 points to 32% in 2025-2026. English Language Arts is the one subject improving, rising from 45% to 47% proficient, while math sits at 25% in both reported years — flat, and the school's clearest weak point. About one in three students (34.0%) were chronically absent in 2024-2025, and 64.55% qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Resource inputs look comparatively strong, with a 14.1 student-teacher ratio and $16,849 in per-student spending, though that spending figure is from 2018-2019 and is the oldest number available.
Statewide, the school ranked 47th of 89 (47th percentile, 2 stars) in 2023-2024, 44th of 84 (48th percentile, 3 stars) in 2024-2025, and 51st of 85 (40th percentile, 2 stars) in 2025-2026. Notably, ELA improved even as the school's relative standing slipped, meaning other Hawaii middle schools improved faster. With three years of history, the most accurate reading is a school hovering at or slightly below the middle of its statewide cohort, with stable ELA, persistently low math, a notable science decline, and high absenteeism — alongside favorable staffing and spending that have not yet translated into stronger outcomes.
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