It’s no surprise to anyone in education that chronic absenteeism is still a serious, ongoing problem for schools and districts across the country. Our report found that absenteeism tends to increase along grade levels, with the highest rates of absenteeism among 12th graders (a whopping 31.84% in March of 2024). In other words, as students approach and pass through high school, they are more likely to miss school than elementary and middle school students. Some of this is understandable\u2014high schoolers can be notorious for bucking the system as they become more independent and self-reliant. However, most students who are chronically absent in high school have struggled with attendance in previous grades. This indicates that early intervention can make a significant difference in addressing high school attendance rates by instilling positive attendance habits early on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another takeaway from the report is that district size can play a role in absenteeism rates. Larger school districts, those comprising more than 20,000 students, are more likely to struggle with absenteeism and to take longer to see significant improvements. Conversely, districts with less than 3,500 students have seen improvements at over half the rate of larger districts. On average districts with fewer than 20,000 students report over 92% attendance rates as of March 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

District leaders know their communities and student populations best. And it’s crucial that they have the tools necessary to understand all of the factors impacting their communities in order to develop successful intervention strategies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n