Key points:
School districts that implement proactive and consistent attendance interventions saw a 22 percent improvement in chronic absenteeism rates between 2021-22 and 2022-23. In contrast, there was only a 7% improvement nationwide over the same period. National K-12 Attendance Data TrendsThis SchoolStatus report examines attendance trends for nearly 1 million K-12 students.
These districts have implemented proactive and positive attendance management strategies and tools for three consecutive school years (2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-2024).
This analysis examines chronic absenteeism and attendance rates by district size, grade, and student race, and compares the SchoolStatus data set to publicly reported national attendance data.
High school students and large school districts have high rates of chronic absenteeism.
- In 2023-24, the chronic absenteeism rate among high school students was highest at 27.74% for 9th graders, and increased to 31.84% for 12th graders.
- The chronic absenteeism rate was lowest in the lower grades of elementary school, highest at 26% in kindergarten, and dropped to 16.5% in the third grade of elementary school.
- Small school districts (3,500 or more students) improved their chronic absenteeism rates by 36.39% between the 2021-22 and 2023-24 school years.
- Large school districts (20,000 or more students) saw a 19.63% improvement over the same period.
Chronic absenteeism continues to impact historically marginalized students.
- In 2023-24, the chronic absenteeism rate was greater than 25% for students who identified as Black (30.1%), Hispanic/Latino (25.72%), Native American (32.84%), and Pacific Islander (32.47%).
- Asian students had the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 10.49%. On the other hand, the chronic absenteeism rate for white students was 18.36%.
- The chronic absenteeism rate among Hispanic students improved by 16.7%, double the national average improvement rate of 7%.
“Attendance is critical at every grade level, and chronic absenteeism rates continue to rise at alarming rates in American schools each year,” said Russ Davis, founder and CEO of SchoolStatus.
“Many school districts use outdated techniques that focus on punishment rather than positive reinforcement. We’ve seen time and time again why those methods don’t work: Communicate with families to understand why their students are missing school, and with open communication, “By creating an encouraging school environment, we can bring students back to the classroom.”
This press release was originally published online.