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Does Waiakea Elementary School have enough mental health and stress support?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
706
Elementary
DISTRICT 438 · STATE 438
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION·NCES 150003000051
Waiakea Elementary School
180 W Puainako St, Hilo, HI 96720 · (808) 981-7215 · Hawaii County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL706 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
47 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.8:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
53%
375 students
DISTRICT 49% · STATE 49%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 9 | 1% |
| Kindergarten | 100 | 14% |
| Grade 1 | 102 | 14% |
| Grade 2 | 113 | 16% |
| Grade 3 | 141 | 20% |
| Grade 4 | 115 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 126 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (100) is 21% smaller than its 5th grade class (126).
Student demographics
75%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 79% · STATE 79% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
Strive HI 2024-25 . % ProficientEnglish Language Arts
42.0%
HI avg 52.0%
Math
39.0%
HI avg 41.9%
What this means: On the Strive HI, Hawaii's statewide test, about 42 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 39 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Hawaii schools, those numbers are about 52 and 42.
Source: Strive HI. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
Schools most like Waiakea Elementary School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waiakea Elementary School this school | 706 | 53.1% | N/A |
| Waiakeawaena Elementary School Hilo | 669 | 51.4% | N/A |
| Kapaa Elementary School Kapaa | 844 | 56.2% | N/A |
| Wailuku Elementary School Wailuku | 550 | 59.8% | N/A |
| Waiau Elementary School Pearl City | 498 | 49.6% | N/A |
| Waihee Elementary School Wailuku | 572 | 57.7% | N/A |
Matched among Hawaii elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Waiakea Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Hawaii | In Hawaii County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 39.0% | #123 of 178 | #10 of 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #130 of 178 | #12 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 706 | #20 of 183 | #4 of 28 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 15.0:1 | #129 of 164 | #17 of 22 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 75.2% | #54 of 164 | #8 of 22 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 53.1% | #78 of 179 | #19 of 27 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -19.1% | #50 of 141 | #3 of 15 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
706
-157 (-18%) vs 2020
-25% since 1990-91, when it was 937
Student : Teacher
15.0:1
was 15.1:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 706 | 47 | 15.0:1 | 53% (375) |
| 2023-24 | 725 | 51 | 14.2:1 | 54% (392) |
| 2022-23 | 789 | 53 | 14.9:1 | 56% (438) |
| 2020-21 | 863 | 57 | 15.1:1 | 56% (483) |
| 2017-18 | 873 | 58 | 15.1:1 | 58% (505) |
| 2015-16 | 816 | 53 | 15.4:1 | 58% (471) |
| 2010-11 | 844 | 49 | 17.2:1 | 52% (438) |
| 2000-01 | 760 | 41 | 18.5:1 | 47% (360) |
| 1990-91 | 937 | 48 | 19.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Waiakea Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 19% (873 to 706); teachers down 19% (58 to 47).
About Waiakea Elementary School
Waiakea Elementary School is a large elementary school in Hilo, Hawaii, under Hawaii Department of Education. It had 706 students in 2024-25, spanning pre-K through 5. By comparison, elementary schools in Hawaii enroll about 438 students on average.
Waiakea Elementary School is a school in Hawaii Department of Education. The district has 296 schools and 167,071 students.
The student body at Waiakea Elementary School has no majority group. Pacific Islander students lead at 29%. Next come 29% multiracial, 24% Hispanic, 15% Asian, and 3% White. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 75, compared with 70 nationally.
The student-to-teacher ratio at Waiakea Elementary School is 15.0:1, based on 47 full-time-equivalent teachers. Compared with the 13.8:1 average for elementary schools in Hawaii, this school's ratio is higher. Lunch program data show 53% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals.
For the population of Hawaii County, median household income comes to about $78,639, roughly 31% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Hawaii County's 55 public schools enroll about 27,129 students and include Waiakea Elementary School.
Waiakea Intermediate School is about 0.1 miles away, making it the nearest public school. Waiakea Elementary School is one of several public schools in the area, with at least 8 others within five miles.
Locale data from NCES put Waiakea Elementary School in a town far from an urbanized area (Town: Remote).
The school shrank from 863 students in 2020-21 to 706 in 2024-25.
People can post here about homework, tutoring, and testing dates and other school topics. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
Hawaii County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
205,769
Census ACS
Median income
$78,639
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
31%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
10%
Below federal line
Schools in county
55
27,129 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Hawaii Department of Education
- James Campbell High SchoolHigh · 2,890 students
- Waipahu High SchoolHigh · 2,538 students
- Mililani High SchoolHigh · 2,382 students
- Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High SchoolHigh · 2,094 students
- Moanalua High SchoolHigh · 1,966 students
- Hawaii Technology Academy - PCSCombined · 1,924 students
Other schools in Hilo
- Waiakea High SchoolHigh · 1,183 students
- Hilo High SchoolHigh · 1,170 students
- Waiakea Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 857 students
- Waiakeawaena Elementary SchoolElementary · 669 students
- Hilo Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 560 students
- Hilo Union Elementary SchoolElementary · 449 students
Nearby schools
- Waiakea Intermediate School0.1 mi · 857
- Waiakea High School0.3 mi · 1,183
- Waiakeawaena Elementary School0.9 mi · 669
- Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School1.3 mi · 354
- Kua o ka La - NCPCS2.1 mi · 185
- Hilo Intermediate School2.2 mi · 560
Frequently asked questions
About Waiakea Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Waiakea Elementary School?
Waiakea Elementary School enrolls approximately 706 students in grades PK-05.
Is Waiakea Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Waiakea Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades PK-05.
How many teachers does Waiakea Elementary School have?
Waiakea Elementary School employs 47 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.0:1.
What is the student diversity at Waiakea Elementary School?
Student demographics at Waiakea Elementary School are roughly 3% White, 24% Hispanic, 15% Asian, 29% Two or more.
Is Waiakea Elementary School public or private?
Waiakea Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Hawaii Department of Education.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.