The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 51% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kailua Intermediate School
Kailua Intermediate School sits in the windward Oahu town of Kailua, a residential community that grew from post-war suburban development and still carries a laid-back, tight-knit character. The town centers on a commercial strip along Kailua Road, with shops and restaurants functioning as a de facto downtown. Schools here sit on separate campuses spread across the census-designated place rather than clustered in that commercial core. Kailua draws visitors to its beaches and trails, and tourism drives much of the local economy, though residents have pushed back, securing county restrictions on short-term rentals. Marine Corps Base Hawaii on the nearby Mokapu Peninsula is also a major employer, giving the area a military-connected population alongside longtime local families.
The school serves seventh and eighth graders only, which shapes nearly everything about what data exists and what does not. There is no graduation rate, no AP or dual-credit coursework, no college readiness metric. Those gaps reflect the grade band, not a missing mission. What the state does report is Smarter Balanced results in English language arts and math for both grades, plus a science assessment for eighth grade. Participation is near universal across every test, which gives the results weight.
English language arts is the school's clearest academic strength. Proficiency runs well above the midpoint in both seventh and eighth grade, with roughly seven in ten students meeting the bar. That consistency across two grade levels suggests a coherent literacy program rather than a single strong cohort. Science, tested only in eighth grade, lands in a solid range, with a clear majority proficient on the Hawaii Science Assessment aligned to Next Generation Science Standards. Math is the softer area. Just over half of students reach proficiency in each grade, which is a respectable result but leaves a substantial portion of students below the standard. A parent whose child tends to struggle in math may want to look into what support structures the school offers, because the state data shows proficiency but does not describe interventions, tutoring, or how the school routes students into higher-level math for high school.
Enrollment is moderate for a two-grade intermediate school, and the student body reflects Kailua's particular mix. White students form the largest group, with substantial representation from students of two or more races, Hispanic students, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students. Asian and Black students are smaller groups. The share qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch is relatively modest for a public school, consistent with Kailua's overall affluence. Information on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available, so those populations go undescribed here.
Housing in the school's zip code is expensive by any measure. Home values sit well above the state benchmark and far above the national one, and rents are correspondingly high. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home dwarfs what most households pay in rent, and both carrying costs stretch against a national median income. This shapes who lives in the attendance area. Families renting near the school face a market where rent absorbs a large share of income, and families buying face a price-to-income ratio that ranks among the steepest in the country. The town's recent short-term rental restrictions may ease some of that pressure over time, but the housing market remains a defining feature of the community.
Beyond assessment results, the data thins out. No information was available on course offerings, extracurriculars, staffing ratios, attendance patterns, discipline, or school climate. The Hawaii Department of Education, which operates the school, had no parent-relevant policy or curriculum changes surfaced in the research. A family considering Kailua Intermediate would be choosing a two-year bridge school in an established, relatively affluent windward Oahu neighborhood, with strong reading results, adequate science outcomes, and math results that bear watching. What happens inside the classroom beyond test scores, and how the school prepares students for the transition to Kalaheo or Kailua High School, is something a parent would need to ask the school directly.
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