The top reported proficiency rate is 34% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Na Wai Ola - Pcs
Na Wai Ola is a small public charter school on the east side of the Big Island, in the rural community of Mountain View along Highway 11. It sits roughly between Hilo to the north and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to the southwest, in the District of Puna. The school lists its served grades as pre-kindergarten through sixth, though state assessment data also includes seventh-grade results, which falls outside that band. No enrollment is reported for pre-kindergarten or seventh grade, so the reason for the mismatch is unclear from the available data. Total enrollment is small, with students spread across kindergarten through sixth grade in classes of roughly comparable size.
The student body reflects the surrounding community. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students form the largest group, followed by Hispanic students, students of two or more races, and White students. A slim majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school does not report its special-education or English-learner rates, so those pieces of the picture are missing.
Academically, the most recent state assessment results, from the Smarter Balanced Assessment in English language arts and math and the Hawaii Science Assessment in fifth grade, show a school where performance varies widely by grade and subject. English language arts is the relative bright spot. Third graders had well over a third proficient, and the out-of-band seventh grade reached a majority proficient. Fourth grade was the weakest in ELA, with only a small fraction demonstrating proficiency. Across all tested grades, the overall ELA proficiency rate sits around a third.
Math results are markedly lower. Fourth grade recorded no proficient students, and fifth grade had a single proficient student out of those tested. Third and sixth grades landed in the teens. The overall math proficiency rate across tested grades is low. Science was tested only in fifth grade, where about a third of students met proficiency. These results come from a single year, so no trend is available. A parent may want to look into this further with the school, particularly the math results, given that tested groups in each grade are small enough that a few students can shift the picture considerably.
Mountain View itself is a low-density rural census-designated place spread across a large land area, with no traditional downtown or pedestrian commercial core. The community's civic anchors include a combined public and school library operated by the Hawaii State Public Library System and the nearby Mountain View Elementary School, the traditional public school in the area. Hawaii Route 11 is the sole main road, tying residents to Hilo for broader services, shopping, and employment. No major employers were identified in publicly available sources for Mountain View, and no new housing developments or commercial projects are mentioned. The area saw substantial growth in the 2000s followed by a leveling off, with recent estimates suggesting the population may have stabilized or slightly declined.
Housing in the school's zip code is more affordable than the Hawaii state benchmark by a wide margin and sits modestly below the national benchmark. The year-over-year trend shows a decline. Rent data was not available for this area. The estimated monthly mortgage on a typical home, assuming a standard down payment at current rates, is heavy relative to local incomes, and the price-to-income ratio is elevated. A family considering buying near the school should expect housing costs that strain the budget, even in a part of the state that is comparatively affordable.
We looked for the school's Title I status, staffing levels, discipline data, course offerings, and attendance figures, but none were available in the provided data. The same is true for charter-specific program information or school-level strategic priorities. The district brief for the Hawaii Department of Education, which authorizes the school, returned no recent parent-relevant changes, so there is nothing to report on that front.
What the available data describes is a very small charter school in a rural Big Island community, serving a student body that is predominantly Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic, with a majority of students facing economic need. State assessment results are low in math and mixed in English language arts, with wide variation from grade to grade. A parent considering Na Wai Ola would want to ask the school directly about its instructional approach, support services, and any programs the public data does not capture.
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