Original Research by School Decision on President Theodore Roosevelt High School
PresidentTheodore Roosevelt High School sits in the Nuʻuanu-Punchbowl area of Honolulu, on Nehoa Street, serving grades nine through twelve as a regular public school within the Hawaii Department of Education. The statewide district operates all of Hawaii's public schools, which means Roosevelt functions under the same governance umbrella as campuses across Oʻahu and the neighbor islands.
The school draws from one of the most culturally varied student bodies you will find in an American high school. Asian students form the largest group, followed by a substantial mix of students identifying as two or more races and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Hispanic students make up a meaningful share, while white and Black students represent smaller portions of the enrollment. A moderate share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The school's enrollment is large for a single high school campus, with each grade level filling out a full four-year program.
On the most recent state assessments, Roosevelt's results paint a mixed academic picture. English language arts stands out as a clear strength, with a majority of students reaching proficiency. Science lands around the midpoint, with roughly half of students proficient. Mathematics is the soft spot, with about a third of students meeting the bar. A parent may want to look into how the school supports students struggling in math and what tutoring or intervention options are available. Only one year of assessment data was provided, so there is no trend to show whether these results are improving, holding steady, or slipping.
Several data points that parents often ask about were not available in the materials reviewed. The school's graduation rate was not provided. Information on English learners and students with individualized education programs was missing. Course access details, including any Advanced Placement or career-technical pathways, were not included. Staffing ratios, attendance patterns, and discipline data were also absent. We looked for program offerings and found none listed, so we left that out rather than guess. Parents should contact the school directly for specifics on academic programs, support services, and extracurriculars.
Honolulu itself shapes the experience of attending Roosevelt. The city is Hawaii's capital and its commercial and financial center, with downtown hosting state government buildings and major civic institutions. Publicly reported sources describe a city where tourism drives much of the economy, centered on Waikīkī and its concentration of hotel rooms. The United States Navy at Pearl Harbor, state and county government, healthcare systems including The Queen's Medical Center, and downtown financial firms anchor the employment base. The urban core has public transit through TheBus system and the developing Skyline rail project. Ala Moana Center serves as a major commercial destination. Schools in Honolulu are spread across neighborhoods rather than clustered in a single campus district, so Roosevelt stands as a neighborhood school within this larger urban fabric.
The housing market around the school tells a story familiar to Honolulu families. Home values in the school's zip code sit well above the national benchmark but below the statewide figure, making the area comparatively more affordable than much of Hawaii while still expensive by mainland standards. The price-to-income ratio is steep, and estimated monthly mortgage costs far exceed typical rents, which means many families in the area are renters. Rental costs themselves take up a large share of household income. Publicly reported sources note that Honolulu faces broader challenges with housing affordability and availability, an aging and declining population, and an exodus of residents to the U.S. mainland, all of which shape the community surrounding the school.
For a family weighing Roosevelt, the school offers a large, diverse campus in an established Honolulu neighborhood with solid English outcomes and middling science results, alongside a math proficiency level that warrants attention. The missing data on graduation rates, program offerings, and specialized student populations means a full picture requires direct outreach to the school. What is clear is that this is a traditional public high school embedded in a complex, multicultural urban setting, serving a broad cross-section of Honolulu students.
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