The top reported proficiency rate is 35% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Princess Victoria Kaiulani Elementary School
Princess Victoria Kaiulani Elementary School sits on North King Street in Honolulu, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Hawaii Department of Education. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it draws from one of the most culturally layered cities in the Pacific. Honolulu is the state capital and the commercial engine of the island chain, with downtown a short distance from the campus and Waikīkī's tourism corridor nearby. The school's enrollment is modest for its grade band, with each grade level carrying a single section.
The student body reflects the surrounding community in its composition. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students form the largest group, followed by a substantial Asian student population. A smaller share identify as two or more races, with a handful of Hispanic, white, and black students rounding out the enrollment. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which signals the economic pressures many families in this neighborhood face. We looked for data on English learners and special education enrollment but found none reported, so those figures are left out rather than guessed.
On state assessments, Kaiulani shows a mixed picture across subjects and grades. In math, the share of students meeting proficiency thins as they move up, with third grade posting the strongest result and fifth grade the weakest. English language arts tells a more uneven story: third grade sits in a middling range, fourth grade dips lower, and fifth grade jumps to a clear majority of tested students showing proficiency. Science, tested only in fifth grade, came in below the school's own math and ELA averages. Participation was full across every tested grade and subject, which means the results reflect nearly the entire eligible cohort rather than a self-selected subset. Average scale scores were not reported, so we cannot speak to how students cluster near the proficiency cutoff. Only one year of assessment data is available, so there is no trend line to show whether these numbers are improving, holding, or slipping over time.
Honolulu's housing market shapes the context families navigate. Home values in this zip code run well above the national benchmark and roughly even with the statewide level, reflecting the premium that comes with living in Hawaii's urban core. Rents have risen faster year over year than home values, and the estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home here far exceeds typical rent, which affects who can buy and who must rent. The broader city is grappling with an aging and declining population, with residents leaving for the mainland, and climate pressures such as sea level rise and water shortages are growing concerns publicly reported in the community. Against that backdrop, the school serves families living through those economic and environmental realities day to day.
Several categories of information we typically look for were not available for this school. Title I status was not reported. Discipline data, staffing figures, attendance rates, and course access details were absent. No program offerings were listed, so we cannot describe extracurriculars, enrichment, or specialized instructional tracks. The neighbor comparison set was not provided, so we cannot position Kaiulani against nearby schools. The Hawaii Department of Education district brief turned up no recently reported policy changes, curriculum shifts, or budget actions of lasting impact. Because this is an elementary school serving only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the lower grades are not subject to state testing, which is why assessment results begin at third grade.
What the available data describes is a small neighborhood elementary school in a dense, expensive urban setting, serving a predominantly Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander student body with high economic need. Academic results vary widely by grade and subject, with a bright spot in fifth-grade English language arts and softer outcomes in math and science. A parent weighing this school may want to ask about supports for students below proficiency, what enrichment or intervention programs exist, and how the school addresses the needs of its economically diverse population. Those are areas where the public data runs thin and where a direct conversation with the school could fill in the picture.
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