Summary:
The city of Kailua Kona, Hawaii is home to 6 schools, including 3 elementary schools, 1 middle school, and 2 high schools, all part of the Hawaii Department of Education district. The district is ranked 1 out of 1 in the state and rated 5 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.
Among the standout schools in the area is West Hawaii Explorations Academy, a public charter high school (grades 6-12) that consistently ranks among the top high schools in the state, currently ranked 18th out of 67 Hawaii high schools and rated 4 out of 5 stars. It has an impressive 87.8% four-year graduation rate and strong test scores, with 53.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 45.87% proficient or better in Biology. Another high-performing school is Innovations - PCS, a public charter elementary/middle school (grades K-8) that ranks 71st out of 207 Hawaii elementary schools and is rated 3 out of 5 stars, with the highest proficiency rates in the district at 64.42% in English Language Arts and 48.17% in Mathematics.
The data also reveals significant disparities in performance between the elementary/middle schools and the high schools in the area. While the charter schools excel, the traditional public schools show more variability in their outcomes, with Kealakehe High School and Kealakehe Elementary School having relatively low proficiency rates. Additionally, the schools with the highest percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, a proxy for socioeconomic status, tend to have the lowest test scores and highest chronic absenteeism rates.
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