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What's one thing Waiakeawaena Elementary School gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
669
Elementary
DISTRICT 438 · STATE 438
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION·NCES 150003000054
Waiakeawaena Elementary School
2420 Kilauea Ave, Hilo, HI 96720 · (808) 981-7200 · Hawaii County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL669 STUDENTS
C+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 40% of Hawaii public elementary schools
- C+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ·Beats expectations Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Hawaii public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.8:1 · STATE 13.8:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
51%
344 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 | 13 | 2% |
| Kindergarten | 103 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 107 | 16% |
| Grade 2 | 96 | 14% |
| Grade 3 | 119 | 18% |
| Grade 4 | 106 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 125 | 19% |
This year's kindergarten class (103) is 18% smaller than its 5th grade class (125).
Student demographics
74%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
49.0%
HI avg 52.0%
Math
42.0%
HI avg 41.9%
What this means: On the Strive HI, Hawaii's statewide test, about 49 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 42 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 Waiakeawaena Elementary School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waiakeawaena Elementary School this school | 669 | 51.4% | N/A |
| Waiakea Elementary School Hilo | 706 | 53.1% | N/A |
| Waiau Elementary School Pearl City | 498 | 49.6% | N/A |
| Kapaa Elementary School Kapaa | 844 | 56.2% | N/A |
| Wailuku Elementary School Wailuku | 550 | 59.8% | N/A |
| Kipapa Elementary School Mililani | 473 | 47.6% | 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 Waiakeawaena Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Hawaii | In Hawaii County |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #112 of 178 | #8 of 27 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 49.0% | #105 of 178 | #7 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 669 | #26 of 183 | #5 of 28 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.9:1 | #47 of 164 | #6 of 22 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 74.1% | #70 of 164 | #11 of 22 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 51.4% | #90 of 179 | #23 of 27 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.7% | #103 of 141 | #10 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
669
-52 (-7%) vs 2020
-33% since 1990-91, when it was 1,001
Student : Teacher
12.9:1
was 13.3:1
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 | 669 | 52 | 12.9:1 | 51% (344) |
| 2023-24 | 672 | 51 | 13.2:1 | 53% (357) |
| 2022-23 | 684 | 51 | 13.4:1 | 52% (355) |
| 2020-21 | 721 | 54 | 13.3:1 | 56% (402) |
| 2017-18 | 733 | 46 | 15.9:1 | 57% (418) |
| 2015-16 | 712 | 46 | 15.5:1 | 60% (428) |
| 2010-11 | 753 | 46 | 16.4:1 | 49% (370) |
| 2000-01 | 814 | 44 | 18.5:1 | 49% (395) |
| 1990-91 | 1,001 | 48 | 20.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Waiakeawaena Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (733 to 669); teachers up 13% (46 to 52).
About Waiakeawaena Elementary School
Waiakeawaena Elementary School is a large elementary school located in Hilo, Hawaii. A federal count lists 669 students at the school, in pre-K through 5. Average enrollment for elementary schools in Hawaii is about 438, so this school runs 53% bigger than that.
Hawaii Department of Education has 296 schools and 167,071 students, and Waiakeawaena Elementary School is one of those schools.
No single group makes up more than half of enrollment at Waiakeawaena Elementary School. The largest is multiracial students, at 34%. The remaining shares are 27% Hispanic, 23% Pacific Islander, 12% Asian, and 3% White. Pick two students at random and there is a 74% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
The ratio of students to teachers is 12.9:1, with 52 full-time-equivalent teachers on staff. That is 0.9 students per teacher below the 13.8:1 average for elementary schools in Hawaii. The percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch is 51%.
Measured against Hawaii public elementary schools, Waiakeawaena Elementary School receives a C+. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
Census Bureau estimates for Hawaii County show that the median household income is $78,639, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 31%, and roughly 10% of residents are in poverty. Waiakeawaena Elementary School is one of 55 public schools in the county.
Nearby, Waiakea Elementary School is about 0.9 miles away. Within five miles of Waiakeawaena Elementary School, there are at least 8 other public schools.
The federal government classifies Waiakeawaena Elementary School's location as Town: Remote.
The school enrolled 669 students in 2024-25, 52 fewer than the 721 it had in 2020-21.
Threads on this page can be about sports tryouts, band and choir, and theater. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.
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
- Waiakea Elementary SchoolElementary · 706 students
- Hilo Intermediate SchoolMiddle · 560 students
- Hilo Union Elementary SchoolElementary · 449 students
Nearby schools
- Waiakea Elementary School0.9 mi · 706
- Waiakea Intermediate School1.0 mi · 857
- Kua o ka La - NCPCS1.1 mi · 185
- Waiakea High School1.2 mi · 1,183
- Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School2.2 mi · 354
- Hilo Intermediate School3.1 mi · 560
Frequently asked questions
About Waiakeawaena Elementary SchoolHow large is Waiakeawaena Elementary School?
Waiakeawaena Elementary School enrolls approximately 669 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Waiakeawaena Elementary School serve?
Waiakeawaena Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waiakeawaena Elementary School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Waiakeawaena Elementary School is approximately 12.9:1 (52 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Waiakeawaena Elementary School?
At Waiakeawaena Elementary School, the student body is approximately 3% White, 27% Hispanic, 0% Black, 12% Asian, 34% Two or more.
Is Waiakeawaena Elementary School public or private?
Waiakeawaena 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.