Maui Waena has Fourth Largest Enrollment in State

Kahului’s Maui Waena Intermediate school had the fourth largest enrollment for intermediate schools in the state with a total enrollment of 1,109 students. File photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Public school enrollment in Hawaiʻi continued to increase, following a five year trend of growth, with additional expansion projected in the next two years due to birth rates, according to new information released by the state Department of Education.

According to the DOE report, total enrollment for grades 1 to 12 increased by 823 students to 159,622 in the 2014-2015 school year.

While there was overall growth across most grades, the department reported a significant drop in kindergarten enrollment by 4,400 students, attributing the decline to a new law that changed the entry age to 5 years old.

In Maui County, the DOE counted 20,950 students enrolled on three islands in grades K-12.  In the Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui complex, which includes 20 schools, there were 15,952 students enrolled.  In the Hāna-Lahainaluna-Lānaʻi-Molokaʻi complex, which includes 11 schools, there were 4,998 students enrolled.  Total kindergarten enrollment for Maui public schools across both complexes was 1,766 students.

The Department of Education reports that Kahului’s Maui Waena Intermediate school had the fourth largest enrollment for intermediate schools in the state with a total enrollment of 1,109 students.

The department projects enrollment across the state to increase by 500 students next school year, and by 1,100 students in 2016-2017.