Attendance Works advances success in school and beyond for all students by reducing chronic absence. Our country is facing an attendance crisis. Prior to the pandemic, eight million students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year). That number has nearly doubled. Missing too much school affects students' academic progress, social development and future success. Left unaddressed, chronic absence will dramatically increase the number of students struggling with reading, writing and math and escalate dropout rates. Existing attendance and truancy practices are inadequate given today’s levels of chronic absence.
Consistent attendance is key to student success, but post-pandemic attendance dropped dramatically. Nationwide, chronic absenteeism—the percentage of students missing at least 10% of a school year—surged from 15% in 2018 to 28% in 2022, & remained high at 26% in 2023. Surging chronic absenteeism clearly stemmed from the pandemic, and up-to-date data is crucial for countering this trend.
Return to Learn’s (R2L) chronic absenteeism data span districts in 50 states from 2016–17 to 2023–24, where available, for the most current and comprehensive chronic absenteeism data available anywhere.
Chronic absenteeism — defined as students missing 10% or more of school —emerged as a serious challenge during the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. rate of chronic absenteeism reached about 31% in the 2021-2022 school year and decreased to 28% in the 2022-23 school year. Chronic absenteeism cannot be the new normal. The Department is using every tool in its toolbox to help schools and communities increase attendance.