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 ne

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