Schools in Hilo · Hawaii Department of Education school district
Hilo’s public schools score below 100% of Hawaii districts
The public schools Hilo’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, trail 100% of Hawaii’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they rank near the bottom.
Reading proficiency
50%
▲ 0 pts vs HI 50%
2020–21
Math proficiency
32%
▲ 0 pts vs HI 32%
2020–21
Graduate on time
86%
▲ 0 pts vs HI 86%
class of 2020
Spent per student
$23.9K
▼ 1% vs HI $24.0K
FY2024
Students per teacher
14.4
HI 14.2
Schools
17
7,811 students
The School Grade
How Hilo compares
D− Test scoresD− Graduation
Hawaii school districts we grade (1)Better than 0%
Lower resultsHigher results
Hawaii towns with similar household incomes (80)Better than 0%
High confidence. Built on 78,236 tested students and a graduating class of 13,004; ordinary year-to-year swings are unlikely to change it.
How the School Grade works
- Results, not inputs. Math and reading proficiency on Hawaii’s state tests against the state average, plus the four-year graduation rate. Spending and class size are shown but don’t count. Tests: 2020–21; graduation: class of 2020.
- The whole path. A town’s grade follows its kids through every district that serves it, weighted by students tested. Tests count 60%, graduation 40%.
- Graded within the state. Each state writes its own tests, so districts are compared with the rest of Hawaii only. A+ is the top 5%, A the next 10%, A− the next 10%, the B range the next 30%, the C range the next 30%, D the rest.
- What a grade can’t tell you. Test results track family income, so we also compare towns with similar incomes. Visit, ask other parents, and read neighbor reviews. It’s our own summary of U.S. Department of Education data, not an official rating.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve Hilo.
7 schools teach Pre-K in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach K in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 1st grade in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 2nd grade in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 3rd grade in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 4th grade in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
7 schools teach 5th grade in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Elementary School, Waiakeawaena Elementary School, Hilo Union Elementary School and Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and more.
6 schools teach 6th grade in Hilo’s district. Which one depends on your address: Waiakea Intermediate School, Hilo Union Elementary School, Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School and Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School and more.
The path, start to finish
PK–67 schoolsDepends on your address
7–82 middle schoolsDepends on your address
9–122 high schoolsDepends on your address
The district
Each district’s own page has its spending, test scores, enrollment and every school.
Test scores · 2020–21
Close to the state in reading
Reading50%
State average 50%
Math32%
State average 32%
Every school in Hilo
17 schools. Grades are ours, from state tests and graduation. Stars are from neighbors.
Elementary
Waiakea Elementary School
B−706 students15:1Rate it →
Waiakeawaena Elementary School
C+669 students13:1Rate it →
Hilo Union Elementary School
C−449 students12:1Rate it →
Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School
A422 students18:1Rate it →
Chiefess Kapiolani Elementary School
D354 students14:1Rate it →
Keaukaha Elementary School
C−341 students12:1Rate it →
Kaumana Elementary School
B−238 students16:1Rate it →
Middle
Waiakea Intermediate School
C+857 students15:1Rate it →
Hilo Intermediate School
B560 students14:1Rate it →
High
Private & other
Parents talk
What Hilo families are saying about school.
Parents weigh in
Live in Hilo? Is a D− for its schools right?
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
Start the conversation
In town
Colleges →Colleges in Hilo
2 colleges in Hilo.
School data: U.S. Department of Education (NCES, EDFacts, F-33 school finance). The School Grade is our own summary of state test results and graduation rates, graded within Hawaii. Stars are from neighbors.