In this series: Hawaii 2025-26 Enrollment.

Correction (July 21, 2026): The original article called the 2026 traditional-school loss the largest genuine decline in the series even though the state package reports a larger loss in 2021. It also said the 2026 loss nearly doubled the prior year's loss; the actual ratio was 1.3. This version corrects those statements, removes conclusions about where individual students went and what caused or would follow the decline, fixes four obsolete chart destinations, and rebuilds the charts and claim ledger from fresh state-package output.

Hawaii's county-operated public schools enrolled 150,280 students in 2025-26, down 3,702 students, or 2.4%, from 153,982 the year before. It was the largest annual decline since 2021, when the same series fell by 4,976 students. It was not the largest decline in the full 2011-2026 series.

Traditional enrollment peaked at 177,010 in 2014. By 2026 it had fallen by 26,730 students, or 15.1%. The only increase after that peak was a 44-student gain in 2019. Enrollment then declined in each of the seven reporting years from 2020 through 2026.

The Recent Losses Grew

Traditional schools lost 1,219 students in 2024, 2,880 in 2025 and 3,702 in 2026. The latest loss was 1.3 times the prior year's loss, not nearly twice as large as the original article reported.

The three annual changes from 2016 through 2018 averaged a loss of 760 students. The three changes from 2024 through 2026 averaged a loss of 2,600, about 3.4 times the earlier average.

The package also reports larger losses of 5,061 students in 2015 and 4,976 in 2021. The enrollment file alone does not establish whether a reporting change, migration, demographics or another mechanism produced any annual move.

Traditional and Charter Sectors Moved in Opposite Directions

Charter schools enrolled 13,371 students in 2026, up 277 from 13,094 in 2025. For every one-student net charter gain that year, traditional enrollment posted a 13.4-student net loss. The combined statewide total fell by 3,425 students.

From 2014 through 2026, charter enrollment rose from 9,840 by 3,531 students, or 35.9%. Traditional enrollment fell by 26,730 over the same years, so the charter gain equaled 13.2% of the traditional loss. Statewide public enrollment fell from 186,850 to 163,651, a loss of 23,199 students, or 12.4%.

Charter students represented 5.3% of statewide public enrollment in 2014 and 8.2% in 2026. These sector totals measure net changes; they do not track individual students or show where students who left either sector enrolled next.

All Four Counties Declined

Honolulu^↗ET accounted for 71.4% of the traditional sector's 2026 loss. Its enrollment fell by 2,644 students to 101,341. From its 2014 peak of 122,195, Honolulu lost 20,854 students, or 17.1%.

Hawaii County^↗ET fell by 557 students to 22,158 in 2026, a 2.5% annual decline. It was 1,634 students, or 6.9%, below its 2012 peak of 23,792.

Kauai^↗ET fell by 220 students to 8,328, a 2.6% annual decline. That was 1,230 students, or 12.9%, below its 2014 peak of 9,558. Maui^↗ET fell by 281 students to 18,453, a 1.5% annual decline, and stood 3,081 students, or 14.3%, below its 2014 peak of 21,534.

Kindergarten Was Below Grade 12

In 2025, Hawaii reported 11,746 kindergarten students and 11,905 grade 12 students, a K-to-grade-12 ratio of 98.7. That was the first ratio below 100 in the package's 2011-2026 series.

In 2026, kindergarten enrollment was 11,637 and grade 12 enrollment was 12,095, producing a ratio of 96.2. These are same-year grade counts, not a longitudinal cohort. The comparison does not establish how many students remained in Hawaii schools between kindergarten and graduation or guarantee a future enrollment path.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.