Hawaii public school enrollment falls 17k since pandemic

HONOLULU (KHON2) — Enrollment in Hawaii’s public schools has been dropping for the last decade, and this school year is no different.

Lawmakers said they are worried about how this decline could affect funding for one of the State’s largest departments.

New data from the Department of Education shows 150,280 students enrolled in the 2025-2026 school year — that is about 2,000 fewer than the previous school year and more than 17,000 less than before the pandemic.

Education Committee lawmakers called it a troubling trend.

“So I think overall, the Department of Education just needs to do a better job earning the trust of the parents to let them know, ‘Hey, when your kids come to school, number one, they’re safe. Number two, they’re getting a quality education,’” said Senate Education Committee member Sen. Samantha DeCorte.

“I’m concerned, Nanakuli High School is facing lower enrollment this last couple of years, and as we’re looking to expand projects in our rural communities, it’s hard to then justify funding when you have low enrollment — but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve the project or service,” said House Education Committee member Rep. Darius Kila.

The DOE website lists their most recent operating budget at $2.18 billion, Sen. DeCorte said it is one of the biggest State departments when it comes to allocating taxpayer money.

“It’s not for lack of funds. So what is it? Is it management? Is it understaffed? I mean, we can go on and on the list of why the Department of Education just isn’t hitting that mark, where parents feel like, ‘Hey, I want to send my kid to public school,’” she said.

“Student enrollment at DOE systems are down, but our pre-K enrollment is up significantly. We have waitlists if not on every campus that has a preschool, and that is a precursor that these students will be then become students in our DOE system,” Rep. Kila said.

Both lawmakers hope solutions to the trend will be presented at the next Board of Education meeting, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 18.