Since the start of the pandemic, Principal Mahina Anguay has seen behavior she rarely needed to worry about in her 12 years at Waimea High School. 

Students are more easily distracted and less engaged in class than they were several years ago, Anguay said. She’s seen more incidents of vandalism and vaping on campus, and students who would usually pass high school with flying colors are struggling to get by. 

“It’s affected all kids,” Anguay said, adding that the school has responded by placing a greater emphasis on hands-on learning and using smaller class sizes to connect with more students. Despite these efforts, only 12% of the high school’s students tested proficient in math last year, down from 23% in 2019. 

Although Hawaii did not experience as large a drop in student achievement during the pandemic as many mainland states, efforts to improve test scores over the last three years have seen little success, with statewide scores essentially flatlining.

Last year 52% of students in Hawaii were proficient in reading, compared to 54% in 2019. The state also reported a math proficiency rate of 40%, compared to 43% before the pandemic. 

But the stagnant statewide results mask significant changes at individual schools — along with widening disparities for student groups that were already struggling academically.

Nearly 50 schools saw their reading proficiency rates drop by 20 percentage points or more since 2019. Only 30 schools saw their scores improve by the same amount.

In 2019, nearly 30 schools reported single-digit proficiency rates for Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students in math. Last year, the number had risen to nearly 60 for both groups.

Despite the wide range in school performance, there have been few state-led efforts to track which teaching strategies are the most successful at helping students catch up, even as the federal government invested over half a billion dollars in Hawaii schools since the pandemic. While the Department of Education has introduced some statewide programs like free summer school and virtual tutoring services using federal funds, individual schools have largely been responsible for deciding what works best for their students.

There’s no single solution for fast-tracking achievement after months of online learning took a toll on students’ mental health and academics, said Alex Harris, vice president of programs at the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation. But when students aren’t meeting state standards in reading or math, it means they’re less prepared to become community contributors or find well-paying jobs that will help them cope with Hawaii’s high cost of living, he added.  

“It’s a moral imperative, but it’s also an economic imperative,” Harris said. 

Closing The Gaps

Since 2019, roughly 45 schools have been able to improve their math or reading proficiency rates by at least 10 percentage points. While principals have tried a range of strategies to promote student learning, several say they’ve found success in offering more individualized support to students and investing in relationships with staff.

Nearly 80% of students at Kaohao Charter School in Kailua tested proficient in math and reading last year, well above the statewide average. But Principal Keoki Fraser is most proud of the school’s work to accelerate the learning of high-needs students since the pandemic, even though their scores still lag behind those of their classmates. 

The school’s achievement gap, which measures the difference between how many high-needs students are meeting state standards in math and reading compared to their peers, was 25 percentage points in math and 17 in reading last year. The school’s achievement gap was roughly 50 percentage points in both subjects in 2019. 

Hawaii defines high-needs students as those who are low-income, in special education programs or speak English as a second language.

Coming back from the pandemic, Fraser said, he placed a special focus on teacher morale and wellness. High rates of teacher turnover — something Hawaii has struggled with for years — can make it difficult for schools to close their achievement gaps and sustain student growth over long periods of time, Harris said.

Fraser raised money to create what he calls a “health bar” in the teacher’s lounge stocked with snacks and smoothies for educators who didn’t have time to prepare meals before work. He’s also tried to develop closer relationships with his staff so they feel supported at school. 

Since making the changes, the school has seen fewer teacher absences. Having educators consistently in the classroom ensures that struggling students can receive the extra support they need, Fraser said.

Schools have also turned to more targeted instruction to build basic skills students fell behind on during online learning. 

Coming out of the pandemic, Principal Deena Moraes said Hanalei Elementary rearranged its class schedule to ensure that teachers had a 30-minute block every day dedicated to small group instruction. These groups are sometimes as small as three students, Moraes said, so that teachers can assess and support kids who may otherwise fall behind during regular class time.   

“Everyone’s getting their just-right instruction,” Moraes said. Hanalei Elementary’s achievement gap closed by 14 percentage points in math and 21 percentage points in reading from 2019 to 2024. 

Some Students Still Left Behind

Even within schools, academic recovery for students has been uneven.

Last year, less than a quarter of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students statewide were proficient in math, and roughly a third were proficient in reading. In some schools, proficiency scores for these groups fell to the single digits.

At Waianae High School, 3% of Native Hawaiian students tested proficient in math last year. On the Big Island, Kealakehe Elementary reported a 7% math proficiency rate for its Pacific Islander students.

Few schools have specific programs targeting their Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander populations, but some have seen success with initiatives intended to support all struggling students.

At Laie Elementary, roughly 65% of Pacific Islanders are proficient in math and reading, one of the highest achievement rates for Pacific Islanders in the state. Principal Loha Kaka says her staff has placed a strong emphasis on attendance since students returned from the pandemic. The school has also created popular before and after-school programs that can provide extra support to struggling students, Kaka said.

“They have a significant adult outside of their classroom teacher who knows them,” Kaka said, adding that it’s been important for her staff to develop strong relationships with Pacific Islander students and their families.

At McKinley High School, 13% of Pacific Islander students were proficient in math last year, compared to 5% in 2019. Principal Ron Okamura said these students sometimes need extra encouragement and mentorship in order to feel confident in their abilities, and he and his staff try to connect with students and make sure they receive the help they need.

For example, McKinley teacher Jennifer Nakamoto said she’ll sometimes pair Pacific Islander students together in her ninth grade math class so they will feel more comfortable speaking up and collaborating on assignments.

“It’s giving them the environment where they feel like they can answer,” Nakamoto said.  

Lingering Post-Covid Challenges

Some barriers to learning have remained stubbornly in place after the pandemic, requiring schools to revamp their approach to learning. 

At Hilo High School, Principal Jasmine Urasaki recalls asking students what they wanted to do after graduation when the campus reopened for in-person learning. Many students had no answer.

It’s been difficult for many students to stay engaged and motivated in school since the pandemic, Urasaki said, especially when online learning may have required less attention or effort. Last year, 15% of students were proficient in math and 43% were proficient in reading, a roughly 17-point drop in both subjects from 2019. 

Recently, Urasaki said, the school created career and technical education academies that connect students to coursework and internships in fields like healthcare or business based on their interests. The program is only in its third year, Urasaki said, but she’s optimistic that the career-oriented classes will help students find their passions and understand how their academics directly impact their futures.

“I’m hoping with that, achievement scores will rise as well,” Urasaki said. 

Some administrators are starting to follow the lead of schools that have successfully raised their test scores since the pandemic, although it’s too early to see the impact of these new strategies. 

At Campbell High School, Vice Principal Geraldine Valencia said the school has started providing extra math and reading instruction to ninth graders who had particularly low test scores in middle school. Twice a week, students meet in groups of seven to receive specialized instruction in math or reading, she added. 

The initiative just started last year, Valencia said, but she’s hoping to see improvements in students’ scores in the coming years. Last year, 21% of Campbell students were proficient in math. The proficiency rates were 3% for Native Hawaiian students and 9% for Pacific Islanders.

Board of Education members also emphasized the need for a more comprehensive approach to boosting student learning at its September meeting, where the education department highlighted improvements in student scores at Hilo Union and Kaumana Elementary on the Big Island. Board member Mary Hattori applauded the schools’ progress but said she wanted to see how these successes could shape teaching across the state. 

“If there’s a way we can intentionally use these successes to inform the practices in the other schools, that would be wonderful,” she said.

David Sun-Miyashiro, executive director of HawaiiKidsCAN, also wants the education department to publish more data on how popular programs like summer learning or tutoring shaped student learning over the past few years. Otherwise, he said, it’s still unclear why some schools excelled and why others are still struggling four years after the start of the pandemic.

“It’ll end up being a lot of guesswork,” Sun-Miyashiro said. 

Civil Beat’s education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.