At 250 of 282 Hawaii schools that report Native Hawaiian chronic absenteeism data, Native Hawaiian students miss school at higher rates than the overall student body. That is 88.7% of schools, a figure so universal it suggests something far deeper than school-level variation.

Statewide, the Native Hawaiian chronic absenteeism rate is 36% in 2025. More than one in three Native Hawaiian students misses 15 or more school days per year. The rate is 12 percentage points above the state average and more than triple the rate for Asian students at 11%.

A Gap That COVID Stretched and Recovery Hasn't Closed

Before the pandemic, Native Hawaiian students had a 23% chronic rate compared to 7% for Asian students, a 16 percentage point gap. COVID drove both groups' rates up, but not equally. Native Hawaiian rates peaked at 52% in 2022 while Asian rates peaked at 16%.

By 2025, the gap stands at 25 percentage points, 9 points wider than before the pandemic. Three years of recovery have not restored the pre-pandemic distance between these two populations, let alone closed it.

Native Hawaiian students have recovered 55.2% of their COVID spike, the lowest recovery rate of any racial group in the state. By contrast, Hispanic students have recovered 65.4% and Filipino students 63.2%.

Where the Rates Are Worst

At some schools, Native Hawaiian chronic absenteeism reaches staggering levels. Princess Victoria Ka'iulani Elementary in Kalihi has a 64% Native Hawaiian chronic rate against a school-wide total of 36%. Kulanihako'i High School on Maui shows a 62% Native Hawaiian rate versus a 45% total. Ho'okena Elementary on the Big Island has a 60% Native Hawaiian rate alongside a 57% total.

The schools where the gap between Native Hawaiian rates and school totals is largest tend to be in two categories: schools in communities with large Native Hawaiian populations where chronic absence is concentrated in that community, and schools where the overall rate is moderate but Native Hawaiian students are disproportionately affected.

The Scale of the Problem

The 88.7% figure (the share of schools where Native Hawaiian students are chronically absent at rates above the school average) is remarkable because it persists regardless of geography, school type, or community wealth. It shows up in suburban Oahu schools and rural Big Island schools, in well-resourced communities and in the state's poorest areas.

The distribution of Native Hawaiian chronic rates across schools in 2025 shows a wide spread, from single-digit rates at a few schools to above 60% at the worst. But the center of the distribution sits well above the state average, and very few schools have managed to achieve Native Hawaiian chronic rates at or below the state norm.

A Gap You Can Only See in Hawaii

Most states would never notice this pattern. Under federal reporting standards, Native Hawaiians are grouped with Pacific Islanders, a single category that would blend the 36% rate with the even higher 40% Pacific Islander rate, making both invisible.

Hawaii reports Native Hawaiian separately, and the data makes the case for why that matters. A gap showing up at 88.7% of schools is not a school-level problem. It is a system-level pattern shaped by where Native Hawaiian families live, what jobs they work, and what services are available in their communities. Schools see the symptom. The causes sit outside school walls.

The Hawaii Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment.

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