Enrollment at Hawaii’s public schools is up by 1.1 percent over last school year, an increase of about 2,000 students, according to figures released Tuesday by the Department of Education.
A total of 185,273 students are enrolled in public schools for the 2013-14 year.
That includes 9,797 students in 33 public charter schools — a 2.1 percent increase — and 173,658 students in 255 DOE schools, a 1 percent increase over last year.
The DOE attributes the growth to a large number of births in 2008 — resulting in a bump in kindergarten enrollment this year — and more students staying in public schools rather than opting for private schools.
Within those totals, the number of special education students decreased by 0.4 percent to 16,978 students in DOE schools, but increased by 3.4 percent in charter schools to 763 students.
Statewide, Oahu’s Leeward District, which includes 42 schools, saw the most growth, with an increase of 721 students, or a 2 percent increase to 37,114 students.
Campbell High in West Oahu remains the largest high school with 2,821 students, followed by Waipahu (2,450) and Mililani (2,445) high schools.
Mililani Middle is the largest intermediate school by enrollment with 1,743 students, followed by Kapolei Middle (1,464) and Waipahu Intermediate (1,314).
And August Ahrens is the largest elementary school with 1,427 students, followed by Holomua (1,383) and Kapolei (1,136) elementary schools.
Among charter schools, Kamaile Academy in Waianae has the largest enrollment, with 899 students in kindergarten to 12th grade, followed by Hawaii Technology Academy in Waipahu (751 students, K-12) and Ka Waihona o ka Na‘auao in Waianae (634 students, K-8).
The Hawaii Association of Independent Schools’ annual report on private school enrollment is scheduled to be released later this year. Hawaii private schools enrolled more than 37,000 students last school year — about 20 percent of the state’s school-aged children.
