Hawaii Schools

    Hawaii has the third smallest enrollment in the country after Wyoming and Alaska. Hawaii’s student to teacher ratio is slightly lower than average at 19.5 students per teacher. Possibly because of a low student-teacher ratio, possibly because of spending an average of $8,000 per student, possibly for other reasons, Hawaii boasts one of the highest graduation rates. The state’s Department of Education reports that 96% of the state’s seniors graduated in 2006. Only 480 of Hawaii’s Class of 2006 (with over 11,000 students) did not complete twelfth grade.

Hawaii also boasts higher-than-average ACT scores. In 2006, Hawaii’s 2200 students who took the ACT scored an average of 21.9 out of 36, where the national average is 21.1. Hawaii’s best performance was on the Math portion of the ACT, where scores were almost two points higher than the national average. However, only 17.4% of Hawaii’s graduates took the ACT test, where the national average is over 34%.

Only 95 of Hawaii’s 282 schools have yet met No Child Left Behind requirements. However, 26 schools are on the cusp of meeting expectations, and are in good standing. Even so, over 66% of Hawaii students attend Title I schools—schools that receive funding for low-income students. Parents of students in Title I schools that do not meet criteria can transfer their students to other schools in the district (or complex in Hawaii) without penalty. For more information on Hawaii’s schools, visit http://doe.k12.hi.us.