Public school enrollment dips slightly

Enrollment at Hawaii public schools dipped slightly this school year to 179,902 students, the Department of Education said Tuesday.

The number of students enrolled at the state’s 256 department schools decreased by 719 students from last school year to 169,268 students. Hawaii’s 34 charter schools, meanwhile, enrolled 10,634 students, up by 212 students.

The overall drop-off from last school year is less than 0.3 percent.

The DOE said the largest fluctuations were seen in first- and second-grade classes due to lingering effects from a later entry age for kindergarten that took effect in 2014.

The largest DOE public schools by grade level include:

>> High schools: Campbell (3,125 students), Mililani (2,556), Waipahu (2,463), Farrington (2,370) and Kapolei (2,020).

>> Intermediate/middle schools: Mililani Middle (1,837), Kapolei Middle (1,402), Waipahu Intermediate (1,314), Maui Waena (1,183) and Kalakaua Middle (1,017).

>> Elementary schools: August Ahrens (1,262), Holomua (1,184), Ewa (1,100), Waipahu (1,015) and Keoneula (972).

Among the state’s charter schools, the largest campuses are Hawaii Technology Academy (1,062), Kamaile Academy (887), Myron Thompson Academy (685), Ka Waihonua o ka Naauao (650) and Hawaii Academy of Arts & Sciences (637).