Enrollment grows at Hawaii schools

Maui's public schools saw a miniscule uptick in the number of students enrolled this year, compared with a year before, according to figures released Tuesday by the state Department of Education.

Maui County had 20,351 students, an increase of only 54 students, or about 0.27 percent, in both regular and special education classes for this year at all 32 of its public schools, including campuses on Molokai and Lanai.

The state's official enrollment for the 2009-10 school year - with all 257 schools and 31 charters schools - is 178,649, an increase of 0.4 percent compared with last year's total of 177,871.

Maui High School in Kahului had the most students of all schools in Maui District with 1,854 in grades 9 through 12. Still, Maui High's numbers did not come close to the three largest public high schools in the state: Campbell (2,639), Farrington (2,637) and Mililani (2,460), all on Oahu.

Maui Waena Intermediate School in Kahului was listed as the fifth largest public middle school in the state with 1,054 students enrolled in grades 6 through 8.

The largest public elementary school in the Maui District is Lihikai Elementary in Kahului with 970; following close behind with 956 students is Kahului Elementary.

The largest elementary schools in the state are: Holomua with 1,428; and August Ahrens, 1,319, both K-6 in Leeward Oahu; and Solomon, 1,161, K-5, in Central Oahu.

Two Molokai schools - Maunaloa Elementary with 61 students in kindergarten through grade 6, and Kilohana Elementary with 105 students in the same grades - were recorded as two of the smallest public schools in the state.

A consolidation task force is being formed to study the possibility of closing Maunaloa and transferring its students to Kaunakakai Elementary. Another campus being considered for closure is Keanae School in East Maui.

It has not had classes for about four years. Keanae youngsters currently attend school at Hana High and Elementary schools.

According to public school officials, charter schools realized a 6 percent gain in enrollment to 7,819 over last year's 7,373.

Kihei Public Charter School was the fifth largest charter school in the state with 436 in kindergarten through grade 12. The school doesn't have a campus for its elementary students, who study via a computer-based curriculum.

The school opened a new campus on Lipoa Street for its middle school, and its high school occupies rented space off Ohukai Road in Kihei.

Kihei Charter accepts students from around the island and does not require geographic exemptions for those residing outside of South Maui.

* Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.