Updated at 1:34 p.m., Thursday, August 23, 2007
Hawaii public school enrollment slips by less than 1%
Advertiser Staff
Enrollment in Hawai'i's schools has slipped by less than 1 percent compared to last year's count.The official enrollment for the 2007-08 school year is 172,364 students at 258 schools, including 154,142 in regular education and 18,222 in special education, according to a state Department of Education news release issued today.
Altogether, this school year's enrollment has dropped by 0.7 percent or 1,192 students — 803 in regular education students and 389, special education— compared to last year's figures.
Not included in the count are the 27 public charter schools across the state because some charters opened for the 2007-08 school year later than traditional public schools and have not yet completed their counts. Charter schools had 5,678 students last year, and are projected to grow to 6,021.
The leeward area, with 39,535 students, makes up O'ahu's largest district. It is followed by the central district, with 31,915 students; Honolulu, 31,274; and Windward, 15,800. Enrollment in O'ahu districts dropped by 199, 307, 330 and 425, respectively.
On the Neighbor Islands, the Big Island has 24,094 students, Maui has 20,267 and Kaua'i has 9,392. Enrollment increased by 31 and 100 on the Big Island and Maui, respectively, over last year's count. It dropped by 66 on Kaua'i.
The five largest public schools by grade level are:
The five smallest public schools in the state — not counting charter schools — are: Niihau (23 students, grades K-12), Maunaloa (62 students, grades K-6), Waiahole (68 students, grades K-6), Wailupe Valley (90 students, grades K-5), and Kula (111 students, grades K-5).
