School History

COMMUNITY

Pāhoa High and Intermediate School (PHIS) is located in the Puna District of the Island of Hawaiʻi with the nearest city, Hilo, 26 miles away.  The school serves 243 intermediate students and 481 high school students and is part of the Keaʻau-Kaʻu-Pāhoa Complex (KKP Complex).  The school was established in 1913 and encompasses 23 acres of land.  PHIS serves a rural community with a median income of $39,000 well-below the state average. The surrounding communities are underdeveloped in the areas of standard community infrastructure such as county water, electricity, telephone services and easy access to public transportation.  Many of the roads are unpaved and become overwhelmed by flooding in the constant rain experienced in this region of the island.  

STUDENTS

Student enrollment continues to increase, a trend that was not anticipated six years ago.  In 2017, the enrollment was at 528 students for both the intermediate and high school.  In October 2022, the enrollment is 721 with a projected enrollment for SY 23-24 to be at 761.  This is also reflected in the growth of the surrounding community.  Due to the more affordable options for housing, easy access to Hilo, and the stateʻs relative safety during the COVID pandemic, more people have been moving to the islands and in particular the Big Island.

The student population comprises a wide variety of ethnic groups with Native Hawaiian students comprising 43.49% of the population, making up the majority of the students.  Other sub groups include: White (16.9%), Filipino (14.27%) and Micronesian (8.59%).  PHIS participates in the Community Eligibility Provision, allowing for all of our students to receive free breakfast and lunch during the school year.  At PHIS, 64% of students fall into the low Socio Economic category versus 44% for the state.  Twenty percent of students are eligible for special services - a number that has been consistent for the past five years. Nine percent of students are classified as English Learners (EL).  In the past five years, the number of EL students has increased from 19 students to 65 students in 2022-23.  

HISTORY

Pahoa School was established in 1910 for students from the rural Puna District communities. The high school was established along with a middle school and an elementary school; all three schools were administered as one campus until the fall of 1993. In 1914, the school was renamed Pahoa High & Elementary School. The original buildings on campus are still in use including the front High School building, the gymnasium and two of the elementary school buildings. At one time, the high school had five feeder schools, with students being bussed in as far away as Volcano, 35 miles away.

The original main elementary school building was torn down in 1979 and replaced with a new two-story building and portable classroom buildings. At the same time on the High School and Intermediate School campus, a new parking lot adjacent to the gymnasium, a three-story classroom building, a two-story building and six new one-story buildings were constructed. The following year, another two-story building along with a new cafeteria, a track and football field, basketball/tennis courts and a baseball/softball field were added on the High School side. In 1981 a 45-space parking lot was constructed behind the Intermediate School along with a few portable classrooms.

The school significantly grew over the years, especially in the late 1970s when the rural Puna district was sectioned off into subdivisions after the Sugar industry went under. Pahoa High doubled in size during this period, and many new buildings were built on the campus. Beginning with the 1993-1994 school year, the elementary school began to be administered as a separate campus (the present-day Pahoa Elementary School), while the high school was accordingly renamed Pahoa High & Intermediate School. In 1999, Keaau High School was constructed ten miles away to relieve Pahoa High & Intermediate School's overcrowded 2,500 student body, virtually downsizing it in half. Keaau High School has since become Pahoa High & Intermediate School's chief athletic rival. In 2012, a new gymnasium opened on the south end of the campus, adjacent to the athletic fields.

 Pāhoa High & Intermediate School received a bronze medal ranking by US News & World Report in 2012, out of 21,776 US high schools evaluated. The school won $5,500 as one of the 18 schools nationwide selected as GRAMMY Signature Schools, an award program honoring top U.S. public schools for their outstanding commitment to music education. PHIS was one of six Hawai‘i schools recognized by the Hawai‘i State Department of Education for energy conservation and environmental efforts in the inaugural Green Ribbon Schools program. Also, the school won the Keep America Beautiful “Recycle-Bowl” national recognition award for Hawai‘i in 2012, for its contribution in reducing greenhouse gases through its recycling program.

In January 2012, Pāhoa High & Intermediate School celebrated the opening of its 1,000 seat gymnasium as the new home for Dagger sports and schoolwide activities. For the prior 69 years, the county gym was utilized for athletic and school events. The agriculture program prepares students by teaching life long skills in agriculture and related fields, as well as increasing students’ awareness of the global and technological importance of agriculture. Intermediate school students are provided with free after school online tutoring and a variety of character building activities. The Transition Center facilitates programs that prepare for post-graduate programs through work experiences that include the Education and Career Opportunities System (ECOS), Early College Running Start, Upward Bound, and internships. Additionally, PHIS helps students develop character building attributes, which promote effective communication and citizenry. We believe these efforts help students realize our school’s vision of succeeding as “a graduate who has the skills and knowledge to succeed socially, personally, and academically in a global society.”

U.S. News & World Report awarded Pahoa High & Intermediate School a bronze medal  recognizing  the school as one of the 2013 Best High Schools ranking.

Pahoa High and Intermediate provides rigorous standards-based education and tailors interventions to meet students’ needs.  Data is shared weekly through professional learning communities, where professional development for educators is also planned. The school has established a monthly peer walkthrough for teachers to observe good practices.