Hawaiʻi Island School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Hawaii)

Are Hawaiʻi Island schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.

Live status monitored for Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area, Honokaʻa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area, and Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex Area.

How Hawaiʻi Island School Closures Are Announced

Hawaiʻi is unusual among U.S. states in having a single, statewide public school system — the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) — rather than dozens of independent local districts. On Hawaiʻi Island, that statewide system is organized into three complex areas: Hilo-Waiākea, Honokaʻa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena (West Hawaiʻi), and Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa. Day-to-day closure decisions for an individual campus are typically made by the school principal in coordination with the Complex Area Superintendent, based on local conditions such as flooding, road access, or volcanic hazards. For large-scale events — hurricanes, tropical storms, or islandwide tsunami advisories — the decision is made at the state level by the Governor’s office working with the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), and can apply to some islands and not others.

Closures and delays are posted directly on the official HIDOE website at hawaiipublicschools.org, and are also sent to families who are enrolled in SchoolMessenger, the notification platform used across the department. Local television coverage comes primarily from three Honolulu-based, statewide stations: Hawaii News Now (hawaiinewsnow.com/weather), KITV4 (kitv.com/weather), and KHON2 (khon2.com/local-news), with Big Island Now also covering island-specific closures. When a closure is weather-related, HIDOE and the Governor’s office generally aim to announce it as early as possible — commonly by 5:00–6:00 AM HST on the day in question — so families can arrange childcare and adjust commutes.

Weather & Environmental Risks That Trigger Closures on Hawaiʻi Island

• Flash flooding from Kona low storms: Slow-moving low-pressure systems can stall over the island and drop several inches of rain in a short period, flooding roads and campuses, particularly in Hilo and Puna.
• Hurricanes and tropical storms: Central Pacific hurricane season runs roughly June through November; storms passing near or over the island can bring damaging winds, flooding rain, and dangerous surf that prompt precautionary statewide or islandwide closures.
• High surf and tsunami advisories: Coastal campuses in Puna, Kaʻū, and along the Kona coast can be affected by high surf advisories or, in rarer cases, tsunami warnings that require evacuation or closure.
• Volcanic activity, vog, and SO2: Ongoing eruptive activity at Kīlauea can send vog (volcanic smog) and elevated sulfur dioxide across parts of the island, prompting outdoor-activity restrictions or, in more serious cases, school closures for air-quality reasons.
• Lava-flow road closures: During active eruptions, lava can cross or threaten access roads, cutting off travel to specific schools or communities even when the broader island is unaffected — one reason closures on Hawaiʻi Island are often campus-specific rather than islandwide.
• Elevation-related road and fog conditions: The West Hawaiʻi complex area spans sea-level Kona to the roughly 2,600-foot elevation of Waimea; fog, wind, and cooler, wetter conditions at higher elevation can affect road safety even when the coast is clear.

Frequently Asked Questions

How early does the Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area announce school closures?

Because Hawaiʻi operates as a single statewide school district, closure decisions are made by individual school principals working with the Complex Area Superintendent, or by the Governor’s office for large-scale events. Announcements are typically posted by 5:00–6:00 AM HST on the day of closure, both on the official HIDOE website and through SchoolMessenger notifications to enrolled families.

What’s the difference between a closure and a delay for Hawaiʻi Island schools?

A closure means a campus has no in-person instruction for the day; students shift to distance-learning protocols if the closure extends over multiple days, such as during a hurricane. A delay means the school day starts later than scheduled — for example, if morning flooding needs time to recede before buses can safely run — but classes still meet on the original bell schedule once the delay period ends.

Do all Hawaiʻi Island schools close at the same time, or does it vary by campus?

It varies. Because HIDOE is one statewide district covering geographically dispersed complex areas, closures are frequently campus-specific — a lava-flow road closure in Puna, for instance, can shut down a single school while the rest of the island, and even the rest of its own complex area, stays open. Islandwide or statewide closures are reserved for larger events such as hurricanes or tsunami warnings.

Which TV stations report Hawaiʻi Island school closings?

Hawaii News Now, KITV4, and KHON2 — all based in Honolulu but broadcasting statewide — are the primary television sources for Hawaiʻi public school closure coverage, including Hawaiʻi Island. Big Island Now also provides island-specific closure coverage. This page automatically monitors these sources alongside the official HIDOE website.

How often is this page updated?

Status checks run automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, or every 5 minutes during active weather alerts such as a hurricane watch or flash flood warning. The page also refreshes automatically in the background so you don’t need to reload it.

Why do some Hawaiʻi Island closures only affect certain schools?

Unlike mainland districts where a single administrative boundary usually closes together, Hawaiʻi Island’s complex areas span huge, geographically varied territory — from sea-level Puna and Kona to the Hāmākua coast and upland Waimea. A landslide, flooded stream crossing, or lava-flow hazard can make one campus unreachable while nearby schools remain fully operational, so always check status by individual school as well as by complex area.

Hawaiʻi Island Public School Roster

Hilo-Waiākea Complex Area

High Schools

• Hilo High School
• Waiākea High School

Middle Schools

• Hilo Intermediate School
• Waiākea Intermediate School

Elementary Schools

• Chiefess Kapiʻolani Elementary School
• Ernest Bowen DeSilva Elementary School
• Haʻaheo Elementary School
• Hilo Union Elementary School
• Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Elementary School
• Kaʻūmana Elementary School
• Keaukaha Elementary School
• Waiākea Elementary School
• Waiākeawaena Elementary School

Honokaʻa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena Complex Area (West Hawaiʻi)

High Schools

• Honokaʻa High & Intermediate School
• Kealakehe High School
• Kohala High School
• Konawaena High School

Middle Schools

• Kealakehe Intermediate School
• Kohala Middle School
• Konawaena Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Hōlualoa Elementary School
• Hōnaunau Elementary School
• Honokaʻa Elementary School
• Hoʻokena Elementary School
• Kahakai Elementary School
• Kealakehe Elementary School
• Kohala Elementary School
• Konawaena Elementary School
• Paʻauilo Elementary & Intermediate School
• Waikoloa Elementary & Middle School
• Waimea Elementary School

Hawaiian Immersion & Special Programs

• Ke Kula O ʻEhunuikaimalino

Kaʻū-Keaʻau-Pāhoa Complex Area

High Schools

• Keaʻau High School

Middle Schools

• Keaʻau Middle School

Elementary Schools

• Keaʻau Elementary School
• Keonepoko Elementary School
• Mountain View Elementary School
• Nāʻālehu Elementary School
• Pāhoa Elementary School

Combined K-12 Schools

• Kaʻū High & Pāhala Elementary School
• Pāhoa High & Intermediate School