Hawaii is the only state with a single, unified statewide school system, comprised of seven districts, four on the island of Oahu and three on the neighbor islands. The four districts on Oahu are in the city and county of Honolulu; metropolitan Honolulu falls in the Honolulu District. An elected board of education formulates educational policy and supervises the public school system. Seven members are elected according to geographic region and six are elected at-large. One non-voting student member is appointed.
The following is a summary of data regarding the Honolulu District public schools as of the 2004–2005 school year.
Total enrollment: 32,454
Number of facilities
elementary schools: 39
intermediate schools: 9
senior high schools: 6
other: 3
Student/teacher ratio: elementary and secondary, 16.8:1 (statewide average)
Teacher salaries (statewide average)
minimum: $29,000
maximum: $58,000
Funding per pupil: $7,455 (statewide average 2002-2003)
A variety of private and special education schools are licensed by the state and serve the school-age population.
Public and Private Schools Information: Department of Education, 1390 Miller St., PO Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804; telephone (808)586-3230
More than 53,000 students are enrolled in area higher education institutions. The University of Hawaii at Manoa, with an enrollment of more than 22,300 students, offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. It is especially known for its programs in the marine sciences, tropical agriculture, geophysics, astronomy, and Asian and Pacific cultures. On the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa is the East-West Center, which is an institution of technical and cultural exchange with Asian and Pacific countries.
Chaminade University of Honolulu is a small, private institution affiliated with the Society of Mary of the Roman Catholic Church. Also located in Honolulu is Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii's largest private university. There are four community colleges.
The Hawaii State Public Library System is based in Honolulu and operates 50 libraries throughout the state. Holdings consist of more than two million volumes (more than 1.5 million housed on Oahu) as well as newspapers, magazines, tapes, films, and special collections including Hawaiian history and state and federal documents. The system also maintains the Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, located in Honolulu.
Specialized libraries are affiliated with local colleges and universities, government agencies, hospitals, and corporations. Research activities in such fields as agriculture, livestock, the environment, freshwater and marine ecology, marine biology, marine mammalogy, water resources, cancer, biomedicine, astronomy, geophysics, labor, and industrial relations are conducted primarily by the University of Hawaii and federal government agencies.
Public Library Information: Hawaii State Public Library System, 478 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813; telephone (808)586-3500