The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Science. The lowest is 40% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Waiakea Elementary School
Waiakea Elementary School sits on W Puainako Street in Hilo, on the eastern side of Hawaii Island, serving students from prekindergarten through fifth grade. It is a regular public school within the Hawaii Department of Education, the statewide district that governs all of Hawaii's public schools. The campus sits in the Waiākea area, inland from Hilo's downtown core and near the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and Hawaiʻi Community College, which gives this part of town a college-district character distinct from the older commercial streets along Hilo Bay.
Hilo is the county seat of Hawaiʻi County, hosting county, state, and federal offices. Its economy shifted in earlier decades from sugar plantations, which eventually closed, toward education, astronomy tied to the Mauna Kea observatories, tourism, and macadamia nut production. The downtown redeveloped as a cultural center in an earlier era, with galleries, museums, the Palace Theater, and the Hilo Farmers Market. Low-lying bayfront areas that once held homes were turned into parks and memorials after devastating tsunamis, which shaped how the city grew inland toward the volcanic slopes. Annual events like the Merrie Monarch Festival bring visitors and economic activity. Public transit runs island-wide through the Hele-On bus, and Hilo International Airport connects the town to other islands and the mainland.
The school's enrollment is sizable for an elementary campus, with students spread across each grade from kindergarten through fifth, plus a small prekindergarten group. The student body reflects Hilo's mixed community. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students make up the largest single group, followed closely by students identifying as two or more races. Hispanic students form the next largest share, with Asian students represented as well. A small number of white students attend, and no students were reported as Black or American Indian or Alaska Native. A majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that more than half the school's families meet the income thresholds for that program.
On state assessments from the most recent school year, Waiakea Elementary showed a clear pattern: proficiency rates rise as students move up through the grades. In math, third graders demonstrated the lowest proficiency, fourth graders improved, and fifth graders reached the highest level, with nearly half testing proficient or above. English language arts followed the same upward trajectory, with third graders starting lower and fifth graders reaching a level where roughly half were proficient. Science, tested only in fifth grade, landed close to that same mark. Participation was high across all tested grades and subjects, with near-universal or full participation.
The school's overall proficiency summary, combining all tested grades, places English language arts and math in a middling range, while science sits somewhat higher. Only one year of assessment data is available, so no trend over time can be drawn from what was provided. Average scale scores were not reported, which limits how finely one can compare performance beyond the proficiency cut. Data on students with individualized education programs and English learners was not available in the provided records, so the school's special education and language-support profile is something a parent may want to ask about directly.
Housing in the school's zip code sits below the statewide benchmark for Hawaiʻi but well above the national figure, reflecting the broad gap between island and mainland markets. Typical home values have been rising modestly year over year. Renting is meaningfully cheaper than carrying a mortgage at current interest rates, with the estimated monthly mortgage running hundreds of dollars higher than typical rent. That gap may matter to families deciding whether to buy or rent in the area. The rent-to-income ratio is on the higher side, and the price-to-income ratio is steep relative to national norms, consistent with Hawaiʻi's broader affordability challenges.
We looked for the district's recent strategic priorities or policy changes and found little of specific lasting impact, so rather than guess at the Hawaiʻi Department of Education's current direction we left that out. No data was available on discipline, course access, staffing ratios, attendance, Title I status, or programs offered at the school. A neighbor comparison among nearby schools was not provided. These gaps mean the portrait here rests mainly on enrollment, demographics, assessment results, and housing context. For a fuller picture of school climate, enrichment offerings, and support services, a family would want to contact the school directly.
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