The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on President George Washington Middle School
President George Washington Middle School sits on South King Street in Honolulu, a regular public school serving grades six through eight as part of the statewide Hawaii Department of Education. The campus draws from one of the most culturally diverse urban settings in the country. Honolulu itself is the capital and commercial center of Hawaii, a Pacific hub where tourism, military defense, government, healthcare, and finance drive the local economy. The school's enrollment reflects that diversity in a way few mainland schools do. Asian students and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students each make up roughly a third of the student body, with students of two or more races and Hispanic students accounting for much of the remainder. A small fraction of students are White or Black. Just over half the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a sizable population of economically disadvantaged families in a city where the cost of living runs high.
On state assessments, Washington Intermediate's results paint a mixed but informative picture. In English language arts, proficiency rates sit in the mid-range across all three grades, with seventh graders performing strongest. Roughly half of seventh graders met or exceeded proficiency standards on the Smarter Balanced Assessment, while sixth and eighth graders landed somewhat below that mark. Math proficiency is more modest, hovering below the ELA results at each grade level. Science results for eighth graders, measured through the Hawaii Science Assessment based on NGSS, fall in a similar mid-range band. Participation rates on these assessments were strong across the board, so the results reflect nearly the full student body rather than a skewed subset.
Only one year of assessment data is available, so there is no trend to describe. A parent wondering whether performance is improving or slipping would need to ask the school directly, because the publicly reported data here does not yet establish a direction.
Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report. That metric simply does not apply to this grade band. Similarly, data on individualized education program rates, English learner status, discipline, course access, staffing ratios, and attendance was not available in the provided materials. These gaps mean a parent looking for details on special education services, language support, or classroom resources would need to contact the school directly. The absence of these figures does not indicate a problem; it reflects what was and was not reported in the data we received.
Honolulu's housing market adds another layer for families considering this area. Home values in the school's zip code run below the broader Hawaii state benchmark but remain well above national levels, and the price-to-income ratio suggests serious affordability strain for buyers. Recent trends show a modest decline in home values year over year, while rents have crept upward. Renting costs a substantial share of median household income, though monthly rent remains less expensive than carrying a mortgage at current rates. The broader city context includes an aging and slowly declining population, with residents leaving for the mainland, and growing climate pressures including drought, sea level rise, and flooding. These factors shape the community around the school even if they do not directly determine what happens inside it.
We looked for recent district-level changes from the Hawaii Department of Education that might affect families, such as curriculum shifts, policy updates, or budget moves, but found little of lasting impact in the available sources. Rather than guess, we left that out.
For a parent weighing Washington Intermediate, the academic results suggest a school where students are making genuine progress in literacy, with room to grow in math. The student body is diverse and reflects the surrounding community in a way many families will value. The economic needs of the student population are real, and the school sits in a city where housing costs strain household budgets. A family whose priorities include an urban Honolulu location, a multicultural peer environment, and a standard public middle school experience may find this a reasonable fit. Those wanting deeper information about special education, English learner services, or enrichment offerings should reach out to the school, since those details were not available in the data provided.
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