Equity
Native Hawaiian Graduation Rate Falls to 80.3%
Native Hawaiian students lost 3.2 percentage points since 2021 while the state held steady, opening the widest equity gap in nine years of data.
Hawaii Education News & Data
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Demographics
458 More Seniors Than Kindergartners
Hawaii's K-to-12th-grade ratio fell to 96.2 in 2025-26, the second straight year with more seniors than kindergartners, as birth rate decline and a 2014 age cutoff change lock in further enrollment losses.
District Spotlight
Linapuni Elementary Cut Chronic Absence 48 Points in One Year, the Largest Drop in Hawaii, and Kept Improving
Linapuni Elementary in Kalihi cut its chronic absence rate from 92% to 44% between 2021-22 and 2022-23, the largest one-year drop in Hawaii, then fell from 36% to 28% on the state's newer measure.
District Spotlight
Maui's Post-Wildfire Decline Slows but Won't Stop
Maui County lost 281 students in 2025-26, a fraction of last year's 807-student plunge. The wildfire spike has passed but the decline continues.
Enrollment
Hawaii's Crash Era Deepens as Losses Nearly Quadruple
Hawaii lost 3,425 students in 2025-26 after losing just 901 two years earlier. Six years into a crash era, the state has shed 17,437 students.
District Spotlight
Lahaina Schools After the Fire: King Kamehameha III Elementary Matched the State's Chronic Absence Rate in 2024-25
In the second school year after the Lahaina fire, King Kamehameha III Elementary's chronic absence rate fell from 32% to 24%, matching the state. Lahaina Intermediate and Lahainaluna High each fell 5 points.
School Choice
Hawaii Charters Cross 8% for the First Time
Charter schools now enroll 8.2% of Hawaii's public school students, but the 2026 gain of just 277 students signals a sector hitting structural limits.
Equity
Most of Hawaii's Attendance Gaps Narrowed in 2024-25, After Every One Widened Through 2022-23
Under Hawaii's older attendance measure, every chronic-absence gap between student groups widened through 2022-23; under the newer measure, seven of nine narrowed in 2024-25 and two held.
Covid Impact
Hawaii Elementary Schools Posted the Largest Attendance Gains Under Both State Measures. High Schools Moved Least.
Average chronic absence at Hawaii elementary schools fell more than at middle or high schools under both the state's older and newer attendance measures; high schools were highest in 2024-25.
District Spotlight
Honolulu Is 1,341 Students from Crossing Below 100,000
Honolulu County has lost 20,854 students since 2014. At the current pace, Oahu will drop below 100,000 students by next year.
Equity
Nearly One in Three Lunch-Eligible Students in Hawaii Was Chronically Absent in 2024-25
In 2024-25, 32% of Hawaii students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch missed 18 or more days, and their gap with all students narrowed within each attendance measure.
Covid Recovery
Every Hawaiian County Moved Further From Pre-COVID Enrollment in 2026
Hawaii's COVID enrollment recovery reversed in 2025-26 as all four counties widened the gap from 2019. The state lost 3,425 students in a single year.
Charter Schools
Hawaii's Charter Schools: A 58-Point Spread from the State's Best Attendance to Near the Worst
In 2024-25, Kanuikapono Public Charter School had Hawaii's lowest chronic absence rate at 1%, while Connections PCS, also a charter, had the second-highest at 59%.
Enrollment
Hawaii Falls Below 165,000 Students for the First Time
Hawaii enrollment hit 163,651, a new record low. Losses nearly quadrupled in two years as housing costs push families to the mainland.
Enrollment
Hawaii Publishes 2025-26 Enrollment Data
HIDOE releases 2025-26 enrollment data showing 163,651 students statewide, down 3,425, the largest non-COVID loss on record.