Hawaii schools ranked No. 1 in internet access

Hawaii’s public school system is ranked No. 1 in the nation for broadband connectivity and access to Wi-Fi in its classrooms, according to the 2016 State of the States report.

The Aloha State received 100 percent on all four categories in the report by EducationSuperHighway, a nonprofit that advocates for high-speed internet access in all public schools. It was the only state to get a perfect score in each category: connectivity, fiber optics, Wi-Fi and affordability.

“We’re very proud to be recognized as number one in the country for our Wi-Fi connectivity,” Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi said Wednesday. “Having access to the internet allows our teachers to enhance classroom lessons and gives our students vast digital learning resources that make learning an interactive, hands-on activity.”

Altogether, 75 percent of students in the United States are connected to high-speed broadband, according to the report. Between 2010 and 2015, the Hawaii Department of Education increased broadband at its schools from 0.3 gigabytes per second to 8.0 gigabytes per second. It provided Wi-Fi for all schools, from kindergarten through 12th grade, in 2014.