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Waiakea Intermediate School

Summary:

Waiakea Intermediate School is a public middle school located in Hilo, Hawaii, serving grades 6-8 with a total enrollment of 774 students. The school is part of the Hawaii Department of Education district, which is ranked 1 out of 1 in the state and rated 5 stars out of 5 by SchoolDigger.

Academically, Waiakea Intermediate School has consistently performed above the state average in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. In the 2022-2023 school year, the school's ELA proficiency rate was 47%, compared to the state average of 51% for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. In Mathematics, the school's proficiency rate was 30%, compared to the state averages of 39%, 34%, and 31% for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades, respectively. The school also has strong performance among specific student subgroups, ranking highly compared to other Hawaii middle schools.

While Waiakea Intermediate School performs significantly better than Keaau Middle School, which is the closest comparable school in the same district, the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 17.3% for the 2023-2024 school year is higher than the nearby Hilo Intermediate School (29.2%). This suggests that the school may need to focus on improving student attendance.


Detail:

Public 6-8

 200 W Puainako St
       Hilo, HI  96720

(808) 981-7231

District: Hawaii Department of Education

SchoolDigger Rank:
33rd of 89 Hawaii Middle Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $16,206 Help


Students who attend Waiakea Intermediate School usually attend:

High:    Waiakea High School

Feeder schools for Waiakea Intermediate School:

Elementary:    Waiakea Elementary School
    Waiakeawaena Elementary School

Student/teacher ratio:  13.8 Help
Number of students:  774

Racial breakdown:

Pacific Islander:
26.7%
Hispanic:
25.3%
Two or more races:
22.7%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  52.3% Help


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Performance Trends
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Compare Details Waiakea Intermediate School ranks better than 62.9% of middle schools in Hawaii. It also ranks 18th among 40 ranked middle schools in the Hawaii Department of Education School District. (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 42.88. (See more...)
Help
Chronic absenteeism in a school refers to a situation where students repeatedly miss school, with the threshold often defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, excused or unexcused.
Student Body
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Compare Details Waiakea Intermediate School has the largest middle school student body size in the Hawaii Department of Education School District.  (See more...)
Teachers
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Waiakea Intermediate School is $16,206, which is the 16th highest among 40 middle schools in the Hawaii Department of Education School District.
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Waiakea Intermediate School:

SchoolDigger ranks Waiakea Intermediate School 33rd of 89 Hawaii public middle schools. (See Waiakea Intermediate School in the ranking list.)

Middle School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Asian students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
Pacific Islander students:
White students:


Hawaii Department of Education:

SchoolDigger ranks Hawaii Department of Education 1st of 1 Hawaii school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Waiakea Intermediate School

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Rank History for all students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2006 71.48 14th 69 79.7%
2007 59.44 22nd 71 69.0%
2008 54.26 18th 46 60.9%
2009 58.62 25th 68 63.2%
2010 66.74 19th 65 70.8%
2011 52.80 27th 71 62.0%
2012 64.86 20th 73 72.6%
2013 75.00 9th 76 88.2%
2015 63.55 19th 72 73.6%
2016 63.45 21st 73 71.2%
2017 30.99 39th 82 52.4%
2018 57.72 23rd 67 65.7%
2019 54.37 30th 70 57.1%
2021 45.89 34th 73 53.4%
2022 44.38 35th 72 51.4%
2023 46.93 32nd 73 56.2%
2024 42.88 33rd 89 62.9%
See the entire list of Hawaii Middle School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 31.89 39th 81 51.9%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 35.13 52nd 89 41.6%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 58.21 29th 87 66.7%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 67.98 12th 71 83.1%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 76.95 9th 68 86.8%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 36.95 43rd 81 46.9%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Waiakea Intermediate School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked Middle Schools HI State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2024 38.29 47th 86 45.3%
See the entire list of Best Hawaii Middle Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Hawaii State Department of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Waiakea Intermediate School Test Scores
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Data source: Hawaii Department of Education

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Enrollment information for Waiakea Intermediate School

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Compare
Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1988 157 2 706 18 n/a n/a n/a 99 982
1989 169 3 795 10 0 n/a n/a 0 977
1990 165 3 872 20 2 n/a n/a 0 1062
1991 174 20 874 3 1 n/a n/a 0 1072
1992 158 3 851 82 3 n/a n/a 0 1097
1993 162 2 863 69 5 n/a n/a 0 1101
1994 175 5 886 63 4 n/a n/a 0 1133
1995 158 4 812 72 4 n/a n/a 0 1050
1996 158 4 812 72 4 n/a n/a 0 1050
1997 160 0 756 62 3 n/a n/a 37 1018
1998 183 2 788 53 4 n/a n/a 0 1030
1999 199 4 770 52 8 n/a n/a 0 1033
2000 190 4 712 58 5 n/a n/a 0 969
2001 164 3 677 61 3 n/a n/a 0 908
2002 154 3 701 53 2 n/a n/a 0 913
2003 154 3 701 53 2 n/a n/a 0 913
2004 150 3 701 53 2 n/a n/a 0 909
2005 142 2 698 60 2 n/a n/a 0 904
2006 140 3 707 55 3 n/a n/a 0 908
2007 140 6 679 52 4 n/a n/a 0 881
2008 151 5 696 38 3 n/a n/a 0 893
2009 147 8 662 41 4 n/a n/a 0 862
2010 137 9 681 36 1 n/a n/a 0 864
2011 82 11 300 22 1 330 103 0 849
2012 76 7 303 47 0 389 55 0 877
2013 72 3 297 46 0 373 53 0 844
2014 77 2 300 55 2 397 59 0 892
2015 73 1 280 61 2 374 57 0 848
2016 73 0 290 70 1 370 54 0 858
2017 91 2 283 63 0 348 61 0 848
2018 76 4 239 112 0 321 115 0 867
2019 73 5 213 172 0 285 143 0 891
2020 66 2 188 232 0 240 175 0 903
2021 64 1 172 196 0 210 162 0 805
2022 52 0 166 203 0 216 162 0 799
2023 45 1 149 196 0 207 176 0 774

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Waiakea Intermediate School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 982 49.5 19.8 24.7
1989 977 46.5 21.0 26.9
1990 1062 51.0 20.8 21.3
1991 1072 52.0 20.6 23.2
1992 1097 54.5 20.1 22.6
1993 1101 57.5 19.1 23.3
1994 1133 56.0 20.2 14
1995 1050 52.0 20.2 12.7
1996 1050 52.0 20.2 12.7
1997 1018 51.0 20.0 27.8
1998 1030 52.0 19.8 26.4
1999 1033 52.0 19.9 35.6
2000 969 50.0 19.4 32.8
2001 908 48.0 18.9 40.1
2002 913 47.5 19.2 39.8
2003 913 47.5 19.2 39.8
2004 909 52.5 17.3 41.3
2005 904 52.0 17.4 46.6
2006 908 51.0 17.8 40.3
2007 881 52.0 16.9 43.6
2008 893 55.0 16.2 41.9
2009 862 54.0 16.0 46.1
2010 864 51.0 16.9 46.8
2011 849 50.0 16.9 49.4
2012 877 54.0 16.2 51.9
2013 844 53.0 15.9 52.6
2014 892 53.0 16.8 55
2015 848 57.0 14.8 51.9
2016 858 57.0 15.0 52
2017 848 53.0 16.0 49.1
2018 867 56.0 15.4 51
2019 891 58.0 15.3 50.5
2020 903 55.0 16.4 53.7
2021 805 56.0 14.3 53.5
2022 799 56.0 14.2 48.9
2023 774 56.0 13.8 52.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Waiakea Intermediate School

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Compare
Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1988 982 49.5 19.8 24.7
1989 977 46.5 21.0 26.9
1990 1062 51.0 20.8 21.3
1991 1072 52.0 20.6 23.2
1992 1097 54.5 20.1 22.6
1993 1101 57.5 19.1 23.3
1994 1133 56.0 20.2 14
1995 1050 52.0 20.2 12.7
1996 1050 52.0 20.2 12.7
1997 1018 51.0 20.0 27.8
1998 1030 52.0 19.8 26.4
1999 1033 52.0 19.9 35.6
2000 969 50.0 19.4 32.8
2001 908 48.0 18.9 40.1
2002 913 47.5 19.2 39.8
2003 913 47.5 19.2 39.8
2004 909 52.5 17.3 41.3
2005 904 52.0 17.4 46.6
2006 908 51.0 17.8 40.3
2007 881 52.0 16.9 43.6
2008 893 55.0 16.2 41.9
2009 862 54.0 16.0 46.1
2010 864 51.0 16.9 46.8
2011 849 50.0 16.9 49.4
2012 877 54.0 16.2 51.9
2013 844 53.0 15.9 52.6
2014 892 53.0 16.8 55
2015 848 57.0 14.8 51.9
2016 858 57.0 15.0 52
2017 848 53.0 16.0 49.1
2018 867 56.0 15.4 51
2019 891 58.0 15.3 50.5
2020 903 55.0 16.4 53.7
2021 805 56.0 14.3 53.5
2022 799 56.0 14.2 48.9
2023 774 56.0 13.8 52.3

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Waiakea Intermediate School

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YearExpenditures from Federal FundsExpenditures from State and Local FundsTotal Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019 $1,537 (9.5%) $14,669 (90.5%) $16,206

Data source: Hawaii Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Waiakea Intermediate School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Ranks 30th of 70 Middle schoolsRanks 32nd of 73 Middle schools
 1%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 % proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
6th Grade English Language Arts (Waiakea Intermediate School)4943
 6%
   6th Grade English Language Arts (Hawaii)5351
 2%
6th Grade Mathematics (Waiakea Intermediate School)3629
 7%
   6th Grade Mathematics (Hawaii)4139
 2%
7th Grade English Language Arts (Waiakea Intermediate School)5548
 7%
   7th Grade English Language Arts (Hawaii)5351
 2%
7th Grade Mathematics (Waiakea Intermediate School)4031
 9%
   7th Grade Mathematics (Hawaii)3834
 4%
8th Grade English Language Arts (Waiakea Intermediate School)5151
   8th Grade English Language Arts (Hawaii)5250
 2%
8th Grade Mathematics (Waiakea Intermediate School)4430
 14%
   8th Grade Mathematics (Hawaii)3831
 7%
All Grades English Language Arts (Waiakea Intermediate School)5147
 4%
All Grades Mathematics (Waiakea Intermediate School)4030
 10%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)		 Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)		 Change (%)
Total Students891774
 13.1%
African American51
 80%
American Indian00
Asian213149
 30%
Hispanic172196
 14%
Pacific Islander285207
 27.4%
White7345
 38.4%
Two or More Races143176
 23.1%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients50.5%52.3%
 1.8%

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Frequently Asked Questions about Waiakea Intermediate School

Students at Waiakea Intermediate School are 27% Pacific Islander, 25% Hispanic, 23% Two or more races, 19% Asian, 6% White.

Students who attend Waiakea Intermediate School usually go on to attend Waiakea High School

Waiakea Intermediate School ranks 33rd of 89 Hawaii middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

In the 2022-23 school year, 774 students attended Waiakea Intermediate School.


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Hawaii State Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.




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