Koko Head Elementary School and Mililani Ike Elementary School were selected as 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups and high performance in English language arts and mathematics.

The two Hawaii schools were among the 356 schools across the country to receive the honor, announced Monday by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. Awardees will be honored in November at a ceremony in Washington, D.C.

“National Blue Ribbon Schools set the standard of excellence in teaching and learning across the nation,” Hawaii Schools Superintendent Keith Hayashi said in a news release from the Hawaii Department of Education. “We are incredibly proud to have Koko Head Elementary and Mililani Ike Elementary representing our Hawaii public schools as shining examples of rigorous and well-rounded learning environments where students become globally competitive and locally committed.”

Koko Head Elementary students scored above the statewide average by 10 percentage points in English language arts and 16 percentage points in math, the DOE news release said. The relatively small school, which serves more than 300 students, “aims to educate the whole child, encouraging students to be well-rounded contributors to their communities” and emphasizing “social-emotional learning to help reinforce positive behavior and character among students,” according to the release.

The Hawaii Kai school, a National Blue Ribbon School awardee in 2011, became an International Baccalaureate World School in 2019, implementing the IB Primary Years Programme that provides all students instruction in conversational Japanese language and culture. All students also take computer science, Hawaiian studies and yoga classes.

Mililani Ike Elementary students exceeded statewide averages by 15% in English language arts and by 30% in math, the release said. The school touts its diverse opportunities to aid its nearly 460 students to develop academically, socially and emotionally “to confidently pursue their interests and goals.”

“Mililani Ike attributes its success to its intentional, data-driven instruction along with its wide variety of explorational learning experiences for students,” the release said. Additionally, the school continuously monitors teaching practices and student progress through assessments, using data analysis to inform “instructional revisions and action planning to address student strengths and needs.”

Mililani Ike offers a math lab for students “to experiment and explore number and operation skills in fun and competitive ways.” Additionally, students in kindergarten through fifth grade are offered world languages in which they can learn fundamental Japanese while cultivating “an enthusiasm for learning a foreign language.”

Extracurricular activities include orchestra, athletics such as track and basketball, and National History Day.

When asked whether the two newest Blue Ribbon schools are receiving additional per-student funding for the additional classes, the DOE pointed to its “weighted student formula,” which “equitably distributes operating budget funds to schools based upon the number of students they serve and the needs and characteristics of those students.”

The DOE website says in addition to base funding provided to every school, a specific dollar amount is allocated to educate each enrolled student. “Additional money is given to educate students with identified characteristics that impact their learning and achievement,” including gifted and talented; economic disadvantage; limited English proficiency; and transiency.

DOE did not say whether the Blue Ribbon schools were provided such additional money.

The “majority of this funding goes to school staff salaries,” the DOE said in an email response.