Every Student Present - Chronic Absence = 10% or more missed school days

Chronic Absence

Every Student Present sheds light on the issue of chronic absence by describing what it is, explaining how it impacts students and highlighting approaches that schools, families and communities can use to reduce chronic absence.

When students miss too many days of school they also miss instruction and fall behind in school. Each year, approximately one in ten students miss 10 percent or more school days. In some cases, in kindergarten and first grade, as many as 4 in 10 students will miss about a month of school, jeopardizing their academic foundation and future success.

The reduction of chronic absence is an essential part of successful school improvement. Research has taught us that:

Chronic absence is related to lower test scores and higher dropout rates for students at all income levels;
By 6th grade, chronic absence is one of three early warning signs that a student will drop out of high school; and,
By 9th grade, attendance can be a better indicator of dropout than eighth grade test scores.

It is well understood, both intuitively and empirically, that improvements in curricula and classroom teaching will not yield positive results unless students are in school.