The state Department of Education is rethinking its approach to declining student enrollment, prioritizing “district optimization ” over immediate school closures and consolidations. The move comes after months of engagement with communities and stakeholders, reflecting concerns about timing, school identity and equitable access to classrooms.
Public schools in Hawaii have lost thousands of students over the past decade as birth rates have fallen and families have moved out of the state. Current enrollment sits just below 160, 000 and is expected to continue declining through the end of the decade. Rural areas such as Lanai, Molokai, Hana and West Maui could see student numbers drop by as much as 25 percent, while fast-growing regions like Ewa and Kapolei on Oahu face overcrowding due to new housing developments.
DOE officials say these disparities make redistricting a practical first step. Adjusting school attendance boundaries can help balance student populations, ease crowding and increase utilization at underfilled campuses. Some complex areas have already begun experimenting with boundary changes in response to shifting populations.
Elizabeth Higashi, Assistant Superintendent, Office of Strategy, Innovation and Performance, said before Thursday’s Board of Education meeting that the department had met with all fifteen complex area principal groups, leaders and staff from previous consolidation studies and school district leaders experienced in district optimization and school consolidation efforts in other states.
“We had previously proposed a methodology to identify clusters of schools to be studied for the potential consolidation by examining the utilization of a school based on their official enrollment count and facility capacity, ” Higashi said. “There was understanding that action needed to be taken, but there was also caution amongst our stakeholders on how it would be perceived.”
Stakeholders expressed strong emotions around the idea of being studied for consolidation.
“People within the community have very strong connections to their school, ” Higashi said, adding that the department plans to amend its methodology to incorporate a qualitative component. This would allow school communities to tell their stories—including efforts by principals to encourage attendance through home visits—before any recommendations are made.
Concerns about the timeline and alternatives were also raised.
“Many of our stake holders felt that school consolidation should be a last-resort option and that there should be time and opportunities for schools to make an effort in communities to see and explore other other ways—such as reconfiguration within their communities, or redistricting in order to equalize some of the enrollment within their communities, and that time and opportunity for those discussions to happen prior to identification, ” Higashi said.
In response to the feedback, the department plans to move forward with school consolidation while extending the timeline, giving communities more time to evaluate options, adjust the methodology and explore alternatives such as redistricting where appropriate.
A department report sets official enrollment at DOE and charter schools in the 2004-2005 school year at more than 181, 000 students statewide, with about 175, 000 attending DOE schools. Enrollment peaked in the 2013-2014 school year, when the total surpassed 185, 000. Since then, numbers have steadily declined, and for the current 2024 –2025 academic year, total enrollment in DOE and charter schools dropped to just 165, 340 students, with 152, 270 enrolled in DOE schools.
Under the revised DOE timeline, redistricting planning and implementation will continue through September 2026, with changes expected for the 2026 –27 school year. Updated enrollment projections will be released between August and December 2026. From April through October 2027, schools will be identified for potential consolidation studies, followed by the superintendent’s initial recommendations, public hearings, and Board decisions. The first transition year for any consolidated schools could begin as early as July 2028.
State Rep. Julie Reyes Oda (R, Ewa Beach-Iroquois Point ) emphasized equity concerns, noting the severe overcrowding in special education classrooms in parts of Ewa.
Her office manager, Robert Allen, said Reyes had to send her own son to a central district school to ensure he had access to adequate resources.
“More schools are needed in Ewa for proper equity, safety and education, ” Allen said, urging the board to hear these concerns.
The DOE emphasized that decisions on reconfiguration and redistricting will be community-specific, working well for some clusters but not necessarily for others.
“It may make sense for some clusters and communities, and it may not for others, ” Allen said. “As we look at enrollment and boundaries, we have to work closely with those communities to determine feasibility and appropriateness.”
Board Member Roy Takumi voiced concerns about the long lead time.
“If you were to reconfigure, redistrict, consolidate, whatever the words are, you’re looking at it taking effect in 2028, ” he said.
Takumi noted that with changes taking effect three years from now, the department must navigate fiscal and demographic challenges, including the impacts of recent tax cuts and federal program reductions on funding.
The DOE responded that fiscal savings are not the primary driver of consolidation decisions.
“Our approach is primarily driven by … the educational opportunities being provided to students, ” a DOE spokesperson said.
Although consolidating schools may reduce some administrative or facility expenses, students will still receive their education regardless of which school they attend. Additionally, there is strong interest in exploring alternative uses for school sites that are no longer functioning as schools.
For now, the DOE will continue refining its methodology, analyzing enrollment trends and engaging communities before any school is formally considered for consolidation.
BY THE NUMBERS Total students enrolled at Department of Education and charter schools statewide over the years.
181, 000 In 2004-2005 185, 000 In 2013-2014 165, 340 In 2024-2025