Chronic Absence: A Call for Deeper Student and Family Engagement

Since the onset of the pandemic, chronic absence from K-12 schools has increased dramatically in every state. Often, the rate doubled: for instance, 12.1 percent to 30 percent in California, 12.9 to 27.7 percent in Massachusetts, 19.7 percent to 38.5 percent in Michigan, and 13.1 percent to 28 percent in Mississippi between school years 2018–19 and 2021–22. Although many hoped attendance would quickly return to pre-pandemic levels once students emerged from quarantined, early data for 2022–23 are disheartening. Chronic absence has remained persistently high—at 24.5 percent in Massachusetts, for example, as of March 2023.

Monitoring chronic absence by grade, student populations, school, district, and geography is crucial to learning recovery and addressing the inequities exacerbated by the pandemic. Chronic absence and other types of attendance data can help identify where more engagement and support are needed as well as illuminate policies and practices that are yielding better outcomes.