Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate School, Waimanalo HI

Original Research by School Decision on Waimanalo Elementary & Intermediate School

Waimanalo Elementary and Intermediate School sits on Kalanianaole Highway in the windward-coast community of Waimanalo, on the southeastern end of Oahu. The town is primarily a Hawaiian homelands community with a large Native Hawaiian population, and the area carries a distinctly rural, agricultural character. Large lots extend back into the Ko'olau valley, supporting banana, papaya, flower, and organic crop cultivation along with numerous plant nurseries. A small commercial cluster along the highway serves daily needs, but there are no hotels or major tourist infrastructure. The community is known for its local flavor rather than its resort appeal, and the school reflects that grounded, community-rooted setting.

The school serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade and operates as a regular public school within the Hawaii Department of Education, the statewide district. Its enrollment is modest for its grade span, and the student body skews toward the upper elementary and middle grades, with the largest cohorts in seventh and eighth. The demographic profile is distinctive: a clear majority of students identify as Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, with a substantial Hispanic presence and a smaller share of students identifying as two or more races or Asian. White and Black enrollment is very small. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is consistent with the community's economic profile. Data on English learners and special education populations was not available, so those figures are left out rather than estimated.

On state assessments, the picture is mixed and leans toward the lower side in mathematics. Proficiency rates in math hover in a narrow band across the tested grades, with most grades landing well below what would be considered a strong result. Seventh grade math is the weakest reported grade. English language arts tells a more encouraging but uneven story. Fourth and sixth grades show comparatively strong reading and writing results, while third, fifth, and seventh grades sit lower. The overall ELA proficiency rate is higher than the overall math rate, suggesting the school does relatively better developing literacy skills than numeracy. Science is tested only in fifth and eighth grades, and results there are modest, with eighth grade outperforming fifth by a meaningful margin.

Because only one year of assessment data is available, no trend can be drawn. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how these results have moved over time and what interventions are in place, particularly in mathematics where the numbers are consistently low.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report and no AP, dual-credit, or career-pathway data tied to this campus. Those questions belong to the high school a student would feed into. Information on discipline, staffing, attendance, and course access was not available in the provided data, so those areas are left unaddressed rather than guessed.

Housing in the 96795 zip code is expensive by any standard. The typical home value sits well above both the national and state benchmarks, and the price-to-income ratio indicates that purchasing a home here requires a very high income relative to the rest of the country. Rent data was not available for this zip code, which limits the picture for families who would rent rather than buy. A parent considering a move into the attendance area should expect that housing costs will be a major factor in the decision.

No recent district-level policy, curriculum, or budget changes surfaced in the search, so there is little to report on the administrative direction from the Hawaii Department of Education that would specifically affect this school in the near term.

What this school offers is a small, community-anchored setting with a strong Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander student population and a rural, agricultural town surrounding it. Families drawn to that cultural and geographic identity may find it a natural fit. The academic results, particularly in math, are a reason to ask questions and look closely at what classroom instruction and support look like day to day.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 318%

School 18% · District 53% · ▼ 36 pts below district

▼ 36 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 418%

School 18% · District 51% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 37 pts below county median

Grade 512%

School 12% · District 45% · ▼ 33 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 38 pts below county median

Grade 621%

School 21% · District 41% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 28 pts below county median

Grade 710%

School 10% · District 38% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 23 pts below state median · ▼ 31 pts below county median

Grade 815%

School 15% · District 36% · ▼ 20 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median · ▼ 21 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 313%

School 13% · District 50% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 44 pts below county median

Grade 441%

School 41% · District 52% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

Grade 519%

School 19% · District 56% · ▼ 37 pts below district

▼ 38 pts below state median · ▼ 42 pts below county median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 54% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median · ▼ 19 pts below county median

Grade 720%

School 20% · District 54% · ▼ 35 pts below district

▼ 32 pts below state median · ▼ 39 pts below county median

Grade 832%

School 32% · District 54% · ▼ 22 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 25 pts below county median

Science

Grade 58%

School 8% · District 49% · ▼ 41 pts below district

▼ 41 pts below state median · ▼ 45 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 43% · ▼ 17 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median · ▼ 18 pts below county median

This schoolHawaii Department of Education, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 8Lower-income32%Higher-income33%1 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income17%2 pp gap