Some parents have heard about progress being made at the school through the "Reading Mastery" program that Keaukaha teachers are using to boost reading scores, Theroux said. Others choose Keaukaha for more personal reasons.

"People have been brought up in this community and moved out, but they still have good memories of it, and they know that many of the staff are still here," he said. "They trust that staff, and I think they want to have their kids experience the same success they had."

Theroux said the students at Keaukaha are so respectful and well-behaved — he calls the campus atmosphere "harmonious" — that he has not seen so much as a fistfight in three years at the school.

Keaukaha feeds into Hilo High School and is known for supplying the high school with football players, but that's not all, Theroux said. "People forget, we supply their scholars and musicians, too."

What are you most proud of? The dedicated faculty and students of KES, Theroux said. Together they implemented the Reading Mastery Program, which has proved so beneficial to student success, he said.

Best-kept secret: Our 'ukulele band, the creation of retired teachers Ed and Irene Kozohara.

Everybody at our school knows: Ilde Aceret, our head custodian, who beautifies our campus.

Our biggest challenge: To dig out from under the "Corrective Action" designation under NCLB.

What we need: People to know that the school is caring for its children academically, as well as emotionally and physically. When all they see is the annual state test results — and in the past those results have been less than perfect — they tend to dismiss all the other important efforts the school is engaged in.

Special events: Our May Day is a well-known local extravaganza.