Kalihi Waena Elementary School

Kalihi Waena Elementary School operates as a reasonably sized elementary campus in Honolulu, Hawaii, overseen by Hawaii Department of Education. Current enrollment sits at 432 students spanning grades pre-K through 5.

Hawaii Department of Education runs 296 schools in total, collectively educating 167,071 students. Kalihi Waena Elementary School is one of those campuses.

Looking at the student body, Kalihi Waena Elementary School records that the largest single group is Pacific Islander at 44%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest breaks down as 42% Asian, 10% multiracial, 3% Hispanic.

On the resource side, On paper, Kalihi Waena Elementary School has 31 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 14.2:1. The state averages about 13.8:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. An estimated 65% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal. Set against Honolulu County (around 42%), the school's rate is north of typical.

In the area at large, the surrounding county (Honolulu County) shows that the typical household earns roughly $106,195 per year, roughly 39% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 6%. In all, Honolulu County runs 187 public schools (combined enrollment of about 111,011 students), of which Kalihi Waena Elementary School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Linapuni Elementary School, around 0.2 miles off. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

The campus sits in an inner-city setting.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 7%: 467 students in 2018 compared to 432 in 2025. The Asian share of enrollment decreased from 51% to 42% over that span.

Within the allk12 community for this school, members of the Kalihi Waena Elementary School community share and discuss school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.