The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 46% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Princess Miriam K Likelike Elementary School
Princess Miriam K Likelike Elementary School sits on Palama Street in Honolulu, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Hawaii Department of Education, the single statewide district that covers all of Hawaii's public schools. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet program, and its enrollment is small for an elementary school serving this grade band. The campus draws from a neighborhood where housing costs run far above national norms, with typical home values in the school's zip code tracking close to the broader Hawaii state benchmark and rents taking up a considerable share of household income. Buying a home here requires a price-to-income ratio that far exceeds what most mainland communities demand, and renting is only somewhat more manageable.
The student body reflects Honolulu's multicultural character. Asian students and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students together form the large majority of enrollment, with smaller groups of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, pointing to a community where economic need is common. Data on English learners and students with individualized education programs was not available in the provided records, so those populations could not be characterized here.
Academically, Likelike uses the Smarter Balanced Assessment in math and English language arts, and the Hawaii Science Assessment based on NGSS standards for fifth grade science. In the most recent year, roughly half of tested students reached proficiency in math and in English language arts, with science landing just below that mark. Math proficiency rises steadily from third grade through fifth grade, a pattern that suggests students are building competence as they move through the upper elementary years. English language arts starts somewhat higher in third grade and softens a touch by fifth. Participation was full or nearly full across nearly every grade and subject. These results place the school in a moderate range, with clear room to grow, particularly in science. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are approaching but not yet meeting proficiency, especially in the earlier grades where the foundation is being laid. No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent improvement, decline, or stability over time.
Honolulu itself is the state's capital and commercial center, a high-rise Pacific city where tourism, military defense, state government, healthcare, and finance drive the economy. The school's Palama neighborhood sits within the broader urban core, where street life concentrates around downtown, Ala Moana, and Waikīkī. The city has been contending with an aging and declining population, outward migration to the mainland, and climate pressures including sea level rise and water shortages. Rail transit expansion through the Skyline system is the major infrastructure story, and housing affordability remains a persistent concern across the island. These broader forces shape the community Likelike serves, even though the school itself is a quiet elementary campus focused on its neighborhood.
The provided records did not include a neighbor comparison set, program offerings, staffing details, discipline data, attendance figures, Title I status, or civil-rights information. The Hawaii Department of Education district brief returned no specific recent policy, curriculum, or budget changes that would be parent-relevant, so there is little to report on that front. Because this is an elementary school, no graduation rate applies.
What the data does show is a small, community-rooted elementary school serving a diverse, working-class Honolulu neighborhood, producing moderate academic results with an encouraging upward arc in math across the upper grades. Families considering Likelike would do well to visit and ask about supports for literacy and science, how the school engages its high-need population, and what enrichment or after-school options complement the instructional day.
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