Grading the Public High Schools

This year, we rank Hawaii’s public high schools, using performance and satisfaction data from the state Department of Education. How does your local high school measure up? Find out in our school chart.

Since 2003, HONOLULU Magazine has published “Grading the Public Schools” charts, each a comprehensive report card on Hawaii’s public schools. We use the state Department of Education’s own data—standardized scores in reading and math as well as satisfaction scores from surveys taken by DOE teachers, parents and students.

Traditionally, we’ve published the full chart of all 257 schools statewide, every other year. This year, we’re focusing on Hawaii’s public high schools. Readers familiar with our charts—or anyone who’s been to high school themselves—know that the last four years of public education are the most challenging. This is where test scores and satisfaction drop precipitously. Last year, for example, the top high school in the state, Moanalua, placed only 90th in the overall ranking, which included elementary and middle schools.

There are success stories, of course. We’ve profiled both the No. 1 high school in the state, Mililani, and the one that has experienced the biggest gains in the past year, Kohala, to see what they’re doing right.

In addition, it’s the 10th anniversary of A. Kam Napier’s original “Death of Public School” article. You’ll find a comprehensive feature here following up on what—if anything—has changed in the past 10 years, and what reforms lie ahead for Hawaii’s public schools.

This article appears in the May 2011 issue of HONOLULU Magazine.