The top reported proficiency rate is 24% in English language arts. The lowest is 17% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kilohana Elementary School
Kilohana Elementary sits in Kaunakakai, the largest town on the island of Molokai, and serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. It is a regular public school within the Hawaii Department of Education, the single statewide district that administers all of Hawaii's public schools. The enrollment is very small, fitting for a school in a tight-knit island community where the entire town has no traffic lights and is publicly described as virtually unchanged since the early 1900s.
The student body is predominantly Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, with a smaller Hispanic presence and a handful of students identifying as two or more races or white. A very large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the broader economic conditions on Molokai, where the economy runs on small locally owned businesses, harbor activity, and public-sector work rather than large employers. Data on English-learner status and special-education enrollment was not available, so those populations cannot be characterized here.
On state assessments, Kilohana's results are limited and uneven across grade levels. Fourth-grade and sixth-grade results were not reported, so only third grade and fifth grade provide a picture. In third grade, math proficiency was quite low, with only a handful of students testing proficient, and ELA was similarly modest. Fifth grade showed stronger results in both math and ELA, with roughly a quarter of tested students reaching proficiency in each. Science, assessed only in fifth grade, was also low. Aggregated across the school, ELA proficiency runs higher than math, and science sits below both. Because the tested groups are so small, a few students moving in or out of proficiency can shift the picture considerably from year to year. No multi-year trend data was available, so there is no way to tell whether these results represent a consistent pattern or a single year's snapshot. Participation among tested students was full.
Kaunakakai itself is a quiet, rural place. Ala Malama Avenue serves as the commercial spine, with markets, a bakery, eateries, and general stores. The town's harbor, with the longest pier in Hawaii, handles cargo and recreation and anchors the civic life of the island. Kapuaiwa Coconut Grove, a royal grove planted under King Kamehameha V, and Church Row, a cluster of missionary-style churches dating to the late nineteenth century, sit nearby. A Saturday outdoor market brings periodic activity. Publicly reported sources note no major new housing developments or commercial construction, and population has been essentially flat. The town feels more like a settlement that has held its shape than one chasing growth.
Housing in the area sits below the statewide benchmark but above the national figure, and values have been declining on a year-over-year basis. Rent data was not available. For families considering a move, the housing market here is less expensive than much of Hawaii but still carries the premium of island life, where goods arrive by barge and options are limited.
The Hawaii Department of Education district brief turned up no specific recent policy, curriculum, or facility changes parent-relevant to this school, so there is nothing to report on that front. School-level data on staffing ratios, course offerings, discipline, attendance, and Title I status was also absent, which leaves gaps in understanding the day-to-day environment inside the building. A parent may want to ask the school directly about class sizes, support staff, and any interventions in place for reading and math, given the proficiency levels.
What Kilohana offers is a small, community-rooted education on an island where families know each other and the pace of life is slow. The academic results are a soft spot, and the missing grade-level data makes it hard to form a complete picture. Families drawn to Molokai's rural character and cultural identity may find the school a familiar, close-to-home option, but would do well to dig deeper into how the school supports students working below grade level.
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