Chronic Absenteeism Facts
Definition: According to the U.S. Department of Education, “chronic absenteeism is typically defined as missing at least 10 percent of school days, or 18 days in a year, for any reason, excused or unexcused.”
Causes: The U.S. Department of Education states that “chronic absence derives from multiple, often interconnected factors; however, research points to student disengagement, lack of access to student and family supports, and student and family health challenges as significant drivers.” Furthermore, transportation problems, mental health issues, family dynamics, and income are factors that also cause chronic absenteeism.
Tracking: Chronic absenteeism rates have nearly doubled from 2019 despite signs of improvement post-pandemic. One of the main problems encountered is the fact that most states only track rates after the school year has ended and lack real-time data.
Data: The graph below from the Institute of Education Science (IES) shows the percentage of public schools by change in chronic student absenteeism during the 2021-2022 school year in comparison to a typical school year before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: School Pulse Panel, Institute of Education Science (IES)
Additionally, in its report, Long COVID for Public Schools: Chronic Absenteeism Before and After the Pandemic, Nat Malkus makes great and valuable observations:
“During the 2021–22 school year, 28 percent of students were chronically absent, an increase of roughly 89 percent over pre-pandemic rates.
Chronic absenteeism is associated with lower standardized test scores.
There is also evidence that when students are chronically absent, their non–chronically absent peers suffer as well. Michael A. Gottfried found that chronically absent students may cause lower achievement in reading and math among their peers.”
Furthermore, Nat Malkus offers two incredibly easy-to-understand graphs showing state average chronic absenteeism between 2019 and 2022:
Note: *Estimates are based on data from Ed.gov.
Source: Return to Learn Tracker, “Chronic Absenteeism: 2017-2023,” American Enterprise Institue, January 2024, https://www.returntolearntracker.net
Note: *Estimates are based on data from Ed.gov.
Source: Return to Learn Tracker, “Chronic Absenteeism: 2017-2023,” American Enterprise Institute, January 2024, https://www.returntolearntracker.net
How Does It Impact Students?
Students with chronic absenteeism fail to receive academic content and fall further behind their peers. On the other hand, students who attend regularly are inadvertently held back as educators try to catch up with those students who are chronically absent. Absences can compound for students who are then afraid to attend due to being overwhelmed about being behind. Additionally, increased absences can lead to increased discipline referrals for the student.
The issues surrounding chronic absenteeism are complex and varied. For families struggling economically since the pandemic, a missed school bus, another child ill in the household, or other lack of resources may keep students from school. In more affluent areas, families may prioritize vacations and excursions over school attendance as if to show, in a post-pandemic society, that family time is more important than school attendance. Some mistakenly believe that it is easy for the students to catch up.
How Can We Improve Chronic Absenteeism?
Schools are trying many options to support student attendance, recognizing that missed days have a snowball effect on a student’s academic progress.
One of the most impactful actions that we, as educators, can take is to build strong, positive relationships between students and ourselves in an inclusive and safe setting. It is also important to engage families in the school community, helping them to support their child(ren)’s education. When educators and families have meaningful relationships, conversations about the importance of education can be held more effectively. Additionally, strong relationships help educators to identify what other factors may be contributing to a student’s absence allowing additional support to be offered.
Furthermore, we can use data to predict which students are at risk of becoming chronically absent, intervening when they have academic or social-emotional needs.
Grant Funds
The U.S. Department of Education states that a few grant funds can be used to “promote student engagement and everyday attendance.” We would like to highlight three of them as they can be applied to a few of the services we offer:
“Title I, Part A funds may be used on evidence-based strategies to increase attendance and instructional time.
Title II, Part A funds may be used by schools to implement evidence-based professional development programming, focused on increasing student engagement.
Title IV, Part A funds may be used to improve school conditions and create safe, positive, and healthy learning environments that support consistent student attendance.”
We Can Help
At CLS, we support districts seeking solutions to chronic absenteeism by helping them develop strong systems of tiered academic and behavioral support, build strong classroom and school communities with restorative practices and equity programming, and examine root causes while finding personalized solutions.
CLS Educational Consultants
Our experienced consultants can support the needs of your schools and districts through professional development training workshops, coaching sessions, and ongoing systems support. Check out our Services and Solutions or Contact Us to request a free consultation.
