Is Kapaa Elementary School a good school?

Kapaa Elementary School ranks 155 th of 207 Hawaii elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

How many students attend Kapaa Elementary School?

In the 2022-23 school year, 839 students attended Kapaa Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Kapaa Elementary School?

Students at Kapaa Elementary School are 30% Two or more races, 28% Pacific Islander, 21% Hispanic, 11% White, 10% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Kapaa Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Kapaa Elementary School usually go on to attend: Middle : Kapaa Middle School High : Kapaa High School

Kapaa Elementary School

Summary:

Kapaa Elementary School is a public elementary school located in Kapaa, Hawaii, serving grades PK-5 with a total enrollment of 839 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.

While Kapaa Elementary School has a diverse student population, with a higher percentage of Pacific Islander (27.77%) and students of two or more races (30.15%) compared to nearby schools, it has consistently ranked in the bottom half of Hawaii elementary schools, with a ranking between 134-175 out of 193-207 schools and a 1-2 star rating out of 5 from SchoolDigger over the past several years. This is significantly lower than the nearby schools, such as Kalaheo Elementary, Koloa Elementary, and Hanalei Elementary, which have rankings in the top half and 3-4 star ratings.

Kapaa Elementary School's proficiency rates in Smarter Balanced Assessments for English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science are consistently lower than the state and nearby school averages. Additionally, the school has a high chronic absenteeism rate of 28.6% in the 2023-2024 school year, which is significantly higher than the nearby schools (20-24.1% chronic absenteeism). The high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 57.33% to 63.62% over the past three school years, suggests that the school may serve a lower-income community, which could contribute to the lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism rates.

Detail:

Public PK, KG-5

4886 Kawaihau Rd
Kapaa, HI 96746

(808) 821-4424

District: Hawaii Department of Education

SchoolDigger Rank:
155^th of 207 Hawaii Elementary Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures: $15,371

Students who attend Kapaa Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Kapaa Middle School
High:	Kapaa High School

Student/teacher ratio: 16.1

Number of students: 839

Racial breakdown:

Two or more races:

30.2%

Pacific Islander:

27.8%

Hispanic:

20.6%

Free/discounted lunch recipients: 57.3%

See top rated Hawaii elementary schools

Compare Kapaa Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

Performance Trends

Compare Details Kapaa Elementary School ranks worse than 74.9% of elementary schools in Hawaii. It also ranks 147^th among 183 ranked elementary schools in the Hawaii Department of Education School District. (See more...)

Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 28.77. (See more...)

Chronic absenteeism in a high 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

Compare Details Kapaa Elementary School has the largest elementary school student body size in the Hawaii Department of Education School District. (See more...)

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Teachers

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Finance

Compare Details The average total spent per student at Kapaa Elementary School is $15,371. 140 elementary schools in the Hawaii Department of Education School District spend more per student.

Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Kapaa Elementary School:

SchoolDigger ranks Kapaa Elementary School 155^th of 207 Hawaii public elementary schools. (See Kapaa Elementary School in the ranking list.)

Elementary 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 1^st of 1 Hawaii school districts. (See district ranking list.)

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Your rating for Kapaa Elementary School?

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Rank History for Kapaa Elementary School

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Rank History for all students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile
2006	20.79	172^nd	194	11.3%
2007	36.09	134^th	192	30.2%
2008	20.36	126^th	146	13.7%
2009	22.70	161^st	191	15.7%
2010	18.43	162^nd	183	11.5%
2011	20.92	166^th	191	13.1%
2012	21.50	173^rd	195	11.3%
2013	20.67	175^th	196	10.7%
2015	22.40	161^st	194	17.0%
2016	19.08	166^th	195	14.9%
2017	25.82	164^th	207	20.8%
2018	24.80	158^th	193	18.1%
2019	21.65	168^th	196	14.3%
2021	25.11	147^th	196	25.0%
2022	32.35	136^th	193	29.5%
2023	32.51	134^th	195	31.3%
2024	28.77	155^th	207	25.1%

See the entire list of Hawaii Elementary School Rankings!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	36.34	156^th	198	21.2%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	32.03	164^th	207	20.8%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Asian students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	31.81	165^th	203	18.7%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary Schools for Asian Students!

Rank History for African American students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	0.00	137^th	160	14.4%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	17.78	136^th	165	17.6%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	38.00	137^th	196	30.1%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary Schools for Pacific Islander Students!

Rank History for White students at Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Avg Standard Score	Statewide Rank	Total # Ranked Elementary Schools	HI State Percentile	SchoolDigger Rating
2024	25.98	172^nd	202	14.9%

See the entire list of Best Hawaii Elementary 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.

Data source: Hawaii Department of Education

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Reviews:
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Enrollment information for Kapaa Elementary School

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Year	White	African American	Asian	Hispanic	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Not Specified	Total
1988	270	7	1089	7	7	n/a	n/a	10	1390
1989	305	6	1163	23	6	n/a	n/a	0	1503
1990	330	2	1161	27	6	n/a	n/a	0	1526
1991	306	24	1115	1	9	n/a	n/a	0	1455
1992	351	1	1012	89	7	n/a	n/a	0	1460
1993	348	4	975	79	4	n/a	n/a	0	1410
1994	363	3	967	66	1	n/a	n/a	0	1400
1995	326	7	989	68	5	n/a	n/a	-1	1394
1996	326	7	989	68	5	n/a	n/a	-1	1394
1997	254	5	971	66	6	n/a	n/a	21	1323
1998	203	4	849	57	5	n/a	n/a	0	1118
1999	194	1	855	59	6	n/a	n/a	0	1115
2000	192	1	857	64	6	n/a	n/a	0	1120
2001	179	7	826	60	7	n/a	n/a	0	1079
2002	173	6	721	67	3	n/a	n/a	0	970
2003	173	6	721	67	3	n/a	n/a	0	970
2004	153	5	715	63	8	n/a	n/a	0	944
2005	156	7	688	59	12	n/a	n/a	0	922
2006	141	5	668	51	14	n/a	n/a	0	879
2007	151	4	698	50	18	n/a	n/a	0	921
2008	129	4	685	47	14	n/a	n/a	0	879
2009	128	12	645	43	15	n/a	n/a	0	843
2010	133	11	637	39	15	n/a	n/a	0	835
2011	117	5	228	38	12	369	44	0	813
2012	119	3	207	61	9	362	64	0	825
2013	113	3	191	100	9	355	117	0	888
2014	115	2	183	141	3	346	164	0	954
2015	110	1	154	151	4	301	173	0	894
2016	96	0	141	183	3	286	195	0	904
2017	96	0	132	201	0	279	228	0	936
2018	91	0	122	212	2	251	250	0	928
2019	85	1	114	210	1	236	274	0	921
2020	87	1	108	207	2	251	277	0	933
2021	84	1	95	186	0	239	256	0	861
2022	87	0	93	195	0	241	258	0	874
2023	93	0	86	173	1	233	253	0	839

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 Kapaa Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1390	73.0	19.0	33.7
1989	1503	72.5	20.7	23.7
1990	1526	76.5	19.9	25
1991	1455	77.0	18.8	22.1
1992	1460	79.0	18.4	29.2
1993	1410	80.0	17.6	24.1
1994	1400	87.0	16.1	20.4
1995	1394	87.0	16.0	19.5
1996	1394	87.0	16.0	19.5
1997	1323	82.0	16.1	42.7
1998	1118	65.0	17.2	38
1999	1115	65.0	17.2	53.5
2000	1120	72.0	15.6	48.7
2001	1079	74.0	14.6	55.9
2002	970	61.0	15.9	54.9
2003	970	61.0	15.9	54.9
2004	944	61.5	15.3	53.6
2005	922	57.5	16.0	55.4
2006	879	57.0	15.4	51.3
2007	921	58.5	15.7	49.6
2008	879	57.5	15.3	47.6
2009	843	49.0	17.2	51.8
2010	835	53.0	15.7	58.9
2011	813	48.0	16.9	58.7
2012	825	53.5	15.4	63.9
2013	888	53.5	16.5	63.9
2014	954	55.0	17.3	65.6
2015	894	54.0	16.5	63.4
2016	904	51.0	17.7	61.8
2017	936	56.0	16.7	58.7
2018	928	59.0	15.7	57.3
2019	921	59.0	15.6	51.5
2020	933	58.0	16.0	52
2021	861	61.0	14.1	57.8
2022	874	61.0	14.3	63.6
2023	839	52.0	16.1	57.3

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 Kapaa Elementary School

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Year	# Students	Full-time Teachers	Student/Teacher ratio	% Free/Discounted Lunch
1988	1390	73.0	19.0	33.7
1989	1503	72.5	20.7	23.7
1990	1526	76.5	19.9	25
1991	1455	77.0	18.8	22.1
1992	1460	79.0	18.4	29.2
1993	1410	80.0	17.6	24.1
1994	1400	87.0	16.1	20.4
1995	1394	87.0	16.0	19.5
1996	1394	87.0	16.0	19.5
1997	1323	82.0	16.1	42.7
1998	1118	65.0	17.2	38
1999	1115	65.0	17.2	53.5
2000	1120	72.0	15.6	48.7
2001	1079	74.0	14.6	55.9
2002	970	61.0	15.9	54.9
2003	970	61.0	15.9	54.9
2004	944	61.5	15.3	53.6
2005	922	57.5	16.0	55.4
2006	879	57.0	15.4	51.3
2007	921	58.5	15.7	49.6
2008	879	57.5	15.3	47.6
2009	843	49.0	17.2	51.8
2010	835	53.0	15.7	58.9
2011	813	48.0	16.9	58.7
2012	825	53.5	15.4	63.9
2013	888	53.5	16.5	63.9
2014	954	55.0	17.3	65.6
2015	894	54.0	16.5	63.4
2016	904	51.0	17.7	61.8
2017	936	56.0	16.7	58.7
2018	928	59.0	15.7	57.3
2019	921	59.0	15.6	51.5
2020	933	58.0	16.0	52
2021	861	61.0	14.1	57.8
2022	874	61.0	14.3	63.6
2023	839	52.0	16.1	57.3

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 Kapaa Elementary School

Year	Expenditures from Federal Funds	Expenditures from State and Local Funds	Total Expenditures Per Pupil (All Funds)
2019	$1,133 (7.4%)	$14,238 (92.6%)	$15,371

Data source: Hawaii Department of Education

Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Kapaa Elementary 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 168^th of 196 Elementary schools	Ranks 134^th of 195 Elementary schools	17%

Test Scores

	% proficient Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	% proficient Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Kapaa Elementary School)	39	43	4%
3rd Grade English Language Arts (Hawaii)	53	49	4%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Kapaa Elementary School)	43	44	1%
3rd Grade Mathematics (Hawaii)	56	52	4%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Kapaa Elementary School)	34	45	11%
4th Grade English Language Arts (Hawaii)	52	51	1%
4th Grade Mathematics (Kapaa Elementary School)	35	41	6%
4th Grade Mathematics (Hawaii)	49	50	1%
5th Grade English Language Arts (Kapaa Elementary School)	44	44
5th Grade English Language Arts (Hawaii)	57	55	2%
5th Grade Mathematics (Kapaa Elementary School)	25	33	8%
5th Grade Mathematics (Hawaii)	44	44
All Grades English Language Arts (Kapaa Elementary School)	39	44	5%
All Grades Mathematics (Kapaa Elementary School)	35	41	6%

Student Body

	Number of students Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)	Number of students Post pandemic (2022-2023)	Change (%)
Total Students	921	839	8.9%
African American	1	0	100%
American Indian	1	1
Asian	114	86	24.6%
Hispanic	210	173	17.6%
Pacific Islander	236	233	1.3%
White	85	93	9.4%
Two or More Races	274	253	7.7%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	51.5%	57.3%	5.9%

Schools Near Kapaa Elementary School

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2024)				Ranking (2023)				HSA Science (2024)	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2024)	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2024)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	SchoolDigger Rating (2024)	Average Standard Score (2023)	Statewide Rank (2023)	State Percentile (2023)	Rank Change from Previous Year	HSA Science All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Kapaa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4886 Kawaihau Rd	Kapaa	96746	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 821-4424	839	52	16.1	57.3%	93 (11.1%)	0 (0.0%)	173 (20.6%)	86 (10.3%)	1 (0.1%)	233 (27.8%)	253 (30.2%)	28.8	155^th of 207 public elementary schools	25.1%		32.5	134^th of 195 public elementary schools	31.3%	21	29.8	39.4	31.6	$15,371	$1,133	$14,238
King Kaumualii Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4381 Hanamaulu Rd	Lihue	96766	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 241-3150	549	42	13.0	57.2%	33 (6.0%)	0 (0.0%)	91 (16.6%)	141 (25.7%)	0 (0.0%)	130 (23.7%)	154 (28.1%)	82.8	45^th of 207 public elementary schools	78.3%		64.7	65^th of 195 public elementary schools	66.7%	20	58.8	63.5	63.7	$17,347	$1,779	$15,568
Elsie H Wilcox Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4319 Hardy St	Lihue	96766	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 274-3150	731	50	14.6	48.0%	30 (4.1%)	0 (0.0%)	150 (20.5%)	181 (24.8%)	0 (0.0%)	111 (15.2%)	259 (35.4%)	78.8	58^th of 207 public elementary schools	72.0%		54.5	84^th of 195 public elementary schools	56.9%	26	28.6	63.3	63.5	$16,176	$1,401	$14,775
Kilauea Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2440 Kolo Rd	Kilauea	96754	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 828-1212	270	19	14.2	34.8%	77 (28.5%)	0 (0.0%)	51 (18.9%)	30 (11.1%)	1 (0.4%)	41 (15.2%)	70 (25.9%)	79	57^th of 207 public elementary schools	72.5%		64.5	66^th of 195 public elementary schools	66.2%	9	69.6	62.5	54.3	$16,927	$1,552	$15,375
Alaka'i O Kaua'i Charter School	Public, Charter	K-7	2-4035 Kaumualii Hwy	Koloa	96756	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	Yes	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 635-5110	201	11	18.2	18.9%	123 (61.2%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (15.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (1.0%)	11 (5.5%)	34 (16.9%)	76.9	62^nd of 207 public elementary schools	70.0%		70.7	56^th of 195 public elementary schools	71.3%	6	47.5	70.7	48.1	$8,858	$479	$8,379
Hanalei Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	5-5415 Kuhio Hwy	Hanalei	96714	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 826-4300	192	18	10.9	31.8%	95 (49.5%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (10.9%)	5 (2.6%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (12.0%)	48 (25.0%)	86.6	35^th of 207 public elementary schools	83.1%		76.4	43^rd of 195 public elementary schools	77.9%	8	68.2	67.9	62.3	$15,509	$832	$14,677
Koloa Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3223 Poipu Rd	Koloa	96756	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	Yes	(808) 742-8460	342	22	15.5	55.3%	54 (15.8%)	1 (0.3%)	76 (22.2%)	42 (12.3%)	0 (0.0%)	79 (23.1%)	90 (26.3%)	58.3	93^rd of 207 public elementary schools	55.1%		80.6	33^rd of 195 public elementary schools	83.1%	60	41.8	47.7	52.9	$16,970	$1,736	$15,234
Kalaheo Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4400 Maka Rd	Kalaheo	96741	Kauai County	Hawaii Department of Education	No	(n/a)	No	No	(808) 332-6801	399	28	14.2	39.3%	66 (16.5%)	2 (0.5%)	90 (22.6%)	31 (7.8%)	0 (0.0%)	75 (18.8%)	135 (33.8%)	85	41^st of 207 public elementary schools	80.2%		62.9	71^st of 195 public elementary schools	63.6%	30	69.8	63.1	65.4	$17,062	$1,397	$15,665

Kapaa Elementary School

Kapaa Elementary School:

Elementary School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:

Hawaii Department of Education:

What do you think?

Rank History for Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for all students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for Special Education students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for Asian students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for African American students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for Hispanic students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for Pacific Islander students at Kapaa Elementary School

Rank History for White students at Kapaa Elementary School

Enrollment information for Kapaa Elementary School

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Kapaa Elementary School

Student/Teacher Ratio Kapaa Elementary School

Per Pupil Expenditures for Kapaa Elementary School

Impact of COVID-19 on Kapaa Elementary School

Rankings

Test Scores

Student Body

Schools Near Kapaa Elementary School