About the Hawaii DOE
Hawaii's public school system was founded on Oct. 15, 1840 by King Kamehameha III. It is the oldest public school system west of the Mississippi. Our 295 schools (258 public, 37 charter) belong to one statewide public school district with
15 regional Complex Areas.
Children in Hawaii are required to attend school between the ages of 5 and 18:
To ensure educational environments of equity and excellence, everyone in our schools should read and understand:
Strategic Plan & Nā Hopena A‘o
Our mission and vision are reflected in the 2023-29 Implementation Plan, our governing document to grow equity and excellence in the school system. Its ambitious but attainable goals and objectives are measured via statewide indicators that are reported to the Board of Education.
OUR MISSION
We serve our community by developing the academic achievement, character, and social-emotional well-being of our students to the fullest potential. We work with partners, families, and communities to ensure that all students reach their aspirations from early learning through college, career, and citizenship.
OUR VISION
Hawai‘i’s students are educated, healthy, and joyful lifelong learners who contribute positively to our community and global society.
Nā Hopena A‘o (HĀ) is a framework of outcomes that reflects our core values and beliefs in action, throughout the school system and the communities in which our schools reside, to develop the competencies that strengthen a sense of belonging, responsibility, excellence, aloha, total-well-being and Hawai‘i (“BREATH”) in ourselves, students and others. With a foundation in Hawaiian values, language, culture and history, HĀ reflects the uniqueness of Hawai‘i and is meaningful in all places of learning.
State Reports
Excerpts from the latest of these key state reports follows. To view these and other key reports, visit the
School Data and Reports section of this website.
ENROLLMENT
Enrollment Report (2023-24) –
view spreadsheet
- Department schools: 155,222 students
- Charter schools: 12,427 students
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Total: 167,649
EMPLOYMENT
Employment Report (2021-22) —
view
- Over 22,100 salaried employees, including 12,610 teachers
BUDGET ALLOCATIONS (FY23)
View the
budget page and the
budget fact sheet
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Operating Budget: $2.6 billion
- State general funds: $2.27 billion
- Federal funds: $269.3 million
- Special/revolving funds: $85.3 million
- Trust funds: $15.65 million
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Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget: $576 million from all sources
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Per-pupil spending: $16,564 (FY 2020) — 14th in the nation (national average is $13,494)
ECONOMIC DISADVANTAGE
Title I
Title I is the federal education program that provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. As part of its Title I requirement, states produce a plan for equitable access to excellent educators, view here.
The Department's list of Title I schools is reported as schools that have a minimum poverty threshold of 47.2%. Poverty is determined via family enrollment in two federal programs —
Community Eligibility Provision and the Free & Reduced Lunch Program — during the prior school year.
Student Impact
The percentage of DOE students considered economically disadvantaged, 2020-21:
50%
- Number of students qualifying for free and reduced-price lunch: 87,879
Number of homeless students, 2019-20:
3,604
ACHIEVEMENT
2020-21 Strive HI System results:
- Overall statewide academic proficiency in English language arts, math and science decreased:
- Language arts proficiency decreased 4 percentage points to 50% in 2021 from 54% in 2019.
- Math proficiency decreased 11 percentage points to 32% in 2021 from 43% in 2019.
- Science proficiency decreased 9 percentage points to 35% in 2021 from 44% in 2019.
- Third-grade literacy (reading near/at or above grade level) increased by 1 percentage point to 76% in 2021 from 75% in 2019.
- Eighth-grade literacy (reading near, at or above grade level) increased by 6 percentage points to 77% in 2021 from 71% in 2019.
- Ninth-grade promotions decreased to 85% in 2021 from 93% in 2020.
- Career and Technical Education (CTE) program completion increased to 61% in 2021 from 58% in 2020.
- Graduation rate increased for the third-straight year, to 86% in 2020 from 85% in 2019.
- College-going rate decreased by 5 percentage points, dropping to 50% in 2021 from 55% in 2020.
Learn more about the
Strive HI Performance System. To view a school's individual report, go to the school's page. You can search in the header of this website for the name of the school, or search using our
School Finder tool.
College and Career Readiness Indicators Reports (CCRI) via P-20
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
NAEP is a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. It is an assessment of a representative sample of 4th and 8th graders in reading and math given every two years. The test is known as "The Nation's Report Card." You can compare Hawaii's results with other states and the national average on the
Nation's Report Card website.
Graduates — Class of 2022: 11,271 (including Charters).
