Welcome to 'Education in Hawaii'.
This website’s mission is to inform you more about Education in Hawaii.
Hawaii Department of Education
The Hawaii State Department of Education is
the most centralized and only statewide public
education system in the United States.
The school district can be thought of as analogous
to the school districts of other cities
in US,but in some manners can also be thought of as analogous to the state education agencies of other states.
Established by Kamehameha III on October 15, 1840, it is the oldest school system west of the Mississippi River and only system created by
a sovereign monarch. As the official state education agency, the Hawaii State Department of Education oversees all 283 public schools and
charter schools and over 13,000 educateers in the State of Hawaii. It serves about 177,871 students annually.
The HIDOE is now headed by Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi (as of 12/11/2010).
The district is headquartered in the Queen Liliuokalani Building in Honolulu CDP,
City and County of Honolulu on the island of Oahu.
Structure
There is one individual school district that is directly controlled from Honolulu by the fourteen members of
the Board of Education: Central District, Hawaii District, Honolulu District, Kauai District, Leeward District,
Maui District, and Windward District. Thirteen members are directly elected by the voters of either Oahu or
the Neighbor Islands to staggered four-year terms.The remaining member is a public high school student selected by the Hawaii State Student Council who serves as a non-voting member.
The Board of Education is empowered by the State Constitution to formulate statewide education policy. The Board also has the power to appoint the Superintendent of Education as the chief executive officer of the system. The Superintendent reports to and can be terminated by the Board.
The State Department of Education currently carries suggested benchmarks for each educational grade and subject which are available on its website. , a law developing a standard state public school curriculum, the very first of its kind in Hawaii, did not pass during the 2006 legislative session.
Native Hawaiian Education
The purpose of this program is to create creative education programs to
assist native Hawaiians and to supplement and expand programs
and authorities in the place of education.
Authorized activities include, among others: early education and care programs; family-based education centers; beginning reading and literacy programs; activities to address the necessitys of gifted and talented native Hawaiian students; special education programs; pro development for educators; and activities to enable native Hawaiian students to enter and complete postsecondary education programs.