Thirty-five public schools will offer traditional summer school this year, down from 37 in 2011.

The state has seen for years a decline in the number of campuses offering summer school, in part because many schools now offer credit recovery or tutoring programs year-round for students.

Summer school can also be too costly for some schools, since tuition does not always cover the cost of paying teachers, administrators and support staff. Summer school operations are supposed to be self-supporting.

Summer school tuition this year is $190 for a complete 120-hour session, the same cost as last year. The state Department of Education has estimated that the actual cost per student of summer school is about $220.

In 2004, 75 campuses had summer school. In 2010, 45 did.

Susan Sato, educational specialist for student activities at the Department of Education, also noted the DOE’s e-school has increased its online offerings in recent years, offering a more convenient option for tech-savvy students or those in remote areas.

Some schools also offer free programming exclusively for their students during the summer, Sato noted, or use the break for teacher training.

She said while the number of campuses holding summer school has gone down over the past decade, she believes there are actually more opportunities for students at schools during the summer break.

About 12,000 Hawaii students participated in summer school in 2010, according to DOE figures. Newer numbers were not immediately available.