Despite tight finances, the state Department of Education was able to lengthen the school day at dozens of campuses, exceeding the requirement of a new instructional-hours law for this school year.

Seventy-two percent of public elementary schools — 129 of 178 — now offer at least an average of five hours, five minutes of instructional time each day, according to department statistics released Monday.

In May, just 22 percent of schools met the minimum.

Under a law the 2011 Legislature approved, half of the state’s elementary schools had to offer at least five hours and five minutes of instructional time per day, on average, this year.

"It’s really a credit to our principals and our complex area superintendents," said Schools Superintendent Kathy Matayoshi. "They went through and made the kind of adjustments needed to reach the limits (of the law). They had to work through it."

The next step for the department is to increase instructional time at all campuses, including middle schools and high schools.

Under the new law, all elementary schools must offer five hours, five minutes of instruction daily (or 1,525 minutes per week) by next school year.

Middle and high schools must comply with the law by 2014, offering at least 51⁄2 hours of instruction, on average, each day.

Instructional time does not include lunch, recess or intervals between classes.

State Sen. Jill Tokuda, chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, said she was pleased with the number of schools that were able to lengthen their school day.

Tokuda also said that the discussion of a longer school day will be different when it comes to secondary schools.

Officials are trying to think of creative ways to count a variety of "learning moments," perhaps in after-school or off-campus activities, as instructional time for middle and high school students.

Tokuda added that the debate on the length of the school day can’t happen in a vacuum, and that the quality of instruction is also a major factor in student achievement.

"It’s more than just seat time," she said.

The new law was passed to allow the department to partially delay implementation of Act 167, which was signed into law in 2010 and called for all schools to comply with minimums for instructional time by next school year.

The measure exempts public charter and multitrack schools, and keeps a requirement of Act 167 that all schools have at least 180 instructional days.

Several parent advocacy groups have criticized the postponement of Act 167’s requirements, but have also conceded that lengthening the school day is no easy task.

Parent Melanie Bailey, who helped draft Act 167, said she was glad to see that many elementary schools met the minimum this year.

"We’re pretty happy," she said.

But, she added, the real test will come in lengthening the day for secondary schools.

"It’s the upper grades that are concerning," Bailey said.

Bailey and other advocates of longer school days conducted a survey of bell schedules at Hawaii high schools this year and found students spent four hours and 38 minutes in class on average each day.