Waiakeawaena Elementary School

Set in Hilo, Hawaii, Waiakeawaena Elementary School is a big elementary-level community, part of Hawaii Department of Education. It enrolls 669 students across grades pre-K through 5. By comparison, Hawaii's public schools average about 438 students each, so Waiakeawaena Elementary School sits 53% above that benchmark.

Within Hawaii Department of Education, which oversees 296 schools and 167,071 students, Waiakeawaena Elementary School is one campus in the system.

On demographics, Waiakeawaena Elementary School logs that the largest single group is multiracial at 34%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest is composed of 27% Hispanic, 23% Pacific Islander, 12% Asian, 3% White.

Looking at the economic backdrop, On paper, Waiakeawaena Elementary School has 52 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.9:1. The state averages around 13.8:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. About 51% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

Zooming out to the county, community-level numbers for Hawaii County indicate median household income runs about $78,639, about 31% of the adult population holds a bachelor's degree or above, and roughly 10% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Waiakeawaena Elementary School is one of 55 public schools in Hawaii County (combined enrollment of about 27,129 students).

The closest other public school is Waiakea Elementary School, roughly 0.9 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius.

Geographically, the school is in a town-based area.

Over the past 7-year window. Waiakeawaena Elementary School's enrollment has fell 9% since 2018, when it stood at 733 (now 669). The Asian share of enrollment fell from 19% to 12% over that span. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.9:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 in 2025.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on open house dates, ride-share offers, and field-trip permission slips. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.