Hawaii Schools Nared Pre-Pandemic Proficiency Levels

State test scores and student attendance improved for the 2025-26 school year.

Updated on Oct. 9, 2026 in Secondary Education

Hawaii Schools Nared Pre-Pandemic Proficiency Levels

Live Poll

Do you believe public schools in your area are effectively preparing students for future success?

Hawaii public school students reached near pre-pandemic proficiency levels in core subjects during the 2025-26 academic year. Officials also reported that regular student attendance improved for the fourth consecutive year.

Why it matters

These gains reflect a stabilization in student performance following pandemic-era disruptions to classroom learning. Improving these metrics is central to the state's efforts to prepare students for postsecondary success.

Statewide proficiency reached 53.2% in language arts, 42.5% in math, and 44% in science. Additionally, the Class of 2026 achieved an 87% on-time graduation rate, while the Class of 2025 saw a 51% postsecondary enrollment rate.

The players

Hawaii State Department of Education

The state agency responsible for managing Hawaii's public school system, setting curriculum standards, and reporting academic performance.

Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

A state-led organization that develops and maintains the standardized testing assessments used by Hawaii schools to track student progress.

The details

The Hawaii State Department of Education evaluates students using the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. To drive these improvements, the department prioritized high-quality curricula, targeted coaching for teachers, and sustained professional development. This multifaceted approach aims to build consistent academic habits after attendance rates fell to 66.1% during the 2021-22 period.

2021-22 saw math proficiency at 38.5% and attendance at 66.1%.
2025-26 marked the academic year for the reported Strive HI results.
October 2026 was when education officials presented the findings to the Board of Education.
2029 is the deadline for hitting 65% language arts and 50% math proficiency targets.

The Home Front

This progress aligns with state efforts to reach 2029 proficiency targets of 65% in language arts and 50% in math. These benchmarks provide a long-term goal for the state educational framework as it continues to navigate recovery from pandemic-era learning loss.

Families can review the performance of individual schools by accessing the official state indicators through the public school portal. Parents should check these resources to see how local school improvements align with their child's academic development and long-term college planning.

The takeaway

Consistent attendance and stable instructional quality remain the primary drivers of Hawaii student performance gains. Families can track the progress of their own local schools by visiting the official department website to view updated performance data.