KAILUA, Hawaii -- Some Hawaii public schools are aggressively competing for students in the geographic exception program to help gain funding.

Statewide, about 7,000 students attend a public school that's outside of their geographic district.

Aikahi Elementary School's principal said she gives tours to prospective students and their parents.

Monday was sixth grade graduation day at Aikahi Elementary School in Kailua. There were leis and balloons and happy faces all around.

More than 20 percent of Aikahi's student body does not live nearby. They have been granted geographic exceptions to attend the school to students like Kupono Hanawahine, of Waimanalo.

"We researched a lot about where we wanted to go and we chose Aikahi for their academics, and we just heard a lot of good stuff about here," Hanawahine's mother, Napua, said.

Next year, Kupono Hanawahine will attend Kamehameha Schools.

His parents make the half-hour drive twice a day to Aikahi from Waimanalo with Kupono and two younger siblings.

"The gas prices went up and just getting here was a challenge for us, but we'd drive again if we had to," Napua Hanawahine said. "Definitely worth it."

A big sign out front of the school proclaims the message: "Aikahi Elementary accepting geographic exceptions."

"I'm giving tours almost on a daily basis for parents to come and see our school. So, it's growing tremendously," Principal Gay Kong said.

The DOE gives each school about $5,000 per student. That's money that can be used to hire more teachers and staff, pay the electrical bill, get more computers or buy more books for the library.

Kong said geographic exception students generally get better grades and have more involved families.

"A parent who's taken the time to make a choice to come to our school to do all the paperwork is obviously a very involved parent and those are the ones that you want at our school," Kong said.

Noelani Elementary School in Manoa is another popular school for geographic exceptions, since about one-third of their students live outside the Manoa area.