Summary:
The 12 schools in ZIP code 96744 (Kaneohe) all belong to the Hawaii Department of Education, enrolling roughly 4,237 students across eight elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools, and one alternative PK–12 campus. School size varies enormously, from Castle High School's 997 students to Hakipuu Academy's 55.
Kapunahala Elementary School is the strongest, most consistent performer: 2025–2026 proficiency of ELA 70, math 71, and science 67, with three straight years near the 88th–89th percentile and 4 stars each year. Governor Samuel Wilder King Intermediate School is clearly improving, climbing from the 53rd to the 63rd to the 71st percentile and earning 4 stars, though its math proficiency is still just 33. Ke Kula o Samuel M Kamakau has the lowest chronic absenteeism (14.0%) and the highest reported graduation rate (91.6%, 2023–2024). Kaneohe Elementary School has the lowest free/reduced lunch rate (35.35%) with solid results, and Puohala Elementary School anchors the other end, with ELA 30 and math 24.
Concerns cluster at the largest and smallest schools. Castle High graduates 81.0% but has the ZIP's highest chronic absenteeism (32.0%) and very low math proficiency (8% in 2025–2026, 14% the year before). Hakipuu Academy shows 0 stars, a 3rd-percentile rank, science at 7, and a 59.0% graduation rate; its math score is suppressed, meaning it is unknown rather than zero. Waiahole Elementary School has by far the most resources — $32,587 per student in 2018–2019 and the lowest student-teacher ratio (10.7) — yet its proficiency trails the top performers. Overall, math lags ELA across the ZIP (37.8% vs. 45.0% average), and results can swing year to year at smaller schools, so multi-year patterns are the most reliable signal.
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