Attendance

Education news, analysis, and opinion on the importance of going to school regularly and the effects of truancy or chronic absences on learning
Superintendent Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville, on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac is the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area School District in Pennsylvania.
Mary Catherine Reljac walks around the exhibition hall of the National Conference on Education in Nashville on Feb. 12, 2026. Reljac, the superintendent for Fox Chapel Area school district in Pennsylvania, is working to combat chronic absenteeism through data analysis and tailored student support.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management Q&A Solving Chronic Absenteeism Isn't 'One-Size-Fits-All,' This Leader Says
Proactive, sensitive communication with families can make a big difference.
Jennifer Vilcarino, February 12, 2026
7 min read
2 students stand before a school in the distance.
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Student Achievement Opinion Progress on Absenteeism Is Stalling. What Can We Do About It?
Recent attendance trends indicate that something fundamental about schooling has changed.
Nat Malkus, February 2, 2026
5 min read
Photo of girl walking in school courtyard.
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Student Achievement Absenteeism May Hurt Academics Long Before It Becomes 'Chronic'
The 10% threshold for chronic absenteeism may be too high to predict academic risk, study says.
Evie Blad, January 21, 2026
4 min read
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Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025.
Three sisters, whose single mother fears being mistakenly detained by federal immigration agents because she is of Puerto Rican descent and speaks Spanish, walk into Funston Elementary School after being dropped off for the start of the school day, in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood Oct. 15, 2025. Teachers in Chicago and elsewhere have expressed heightened anxiety from immigrant students as immigration enforcement efforts expand.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
School & District Management From Our Research Center Student Fear and Absences Surge as Immigration Enforcement Expands
While schools report widespread effects from immigration enforcement, not all are taking action.
Ileana Najarro, November 25, 2025
5 min read
Illustration of an attendance sheet.
Brad Calkins/Getty
School & District Management The Surprising Factor That Makes Absenteeism Interventions More Successful
Schools are communicating more with parents about their kids' attendance. When they do it matters.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, November 12, 2025
3 min read
Tight cropped photo of the back of a woman holding the hand of her elementary aged son while they drag their light blue rolling suitcases behind them in an airport.
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Families & the Community Should Kids Miss School for Vacation? Parents Say Yes, Teachers Aren't So Sure
Parents seem increasingly comfortable pulling their children out of school for vacations, educators say.
Evie Blad, November 10, 2025
1 min read
Illustration of people sticking post-it paper of business plan short notes on big calendar.
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Families & the Community A Guide to Building a School Calendar That Maximizes Attendance
Districts strategically schedule long weekends, work days, and spirit weeks to help boost attendance.
Evie Blad, October 27, 2025
5 min read
School & District Management Webinar Boosting Attendance: What Are Schools Doing to Cut Chronic Absenteeism?
Chronic absenteeism still plagues schools. Learn the real impacts and proven strategies districts use to boost attendance.
October 9, 2025
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school, Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M.
Kanette Yatsattie, 8, left, and classmate Jeremy Candelaria, 10, hang out by a board depicting the race to for best attendance at the school on Oct. 1, 2024, at Algodones Elementary School in Algodones, N.M. New Mexico passed a law in 2019 that shifts schools from punishing truancy to preventing chronic absenteeism, only referring truancy cases to the courts in extreme cases. California is the latest state to change its truancy law, undoing potential criminal penalties like fines or jail time for parents.
Roberto E. Rosales/AP
Families & the Community Should Parents Face Criminal Penalties for Their Children's Poor Attendance?
Schools shift from a punitive approach with penalties for truancy to a greater emphasis on prevention.
Evie Blad, October 7, 2025
7 min read
Ashley Perkins, a second-grade teacher at the Dummerston, Vt., School, writes a "welcome back" message for her students in her classroom for the upcoming school year on Aug. 22, 2025.
Ashley Perkins, a 2nd-grade teacher in Dummerston, Vt., writes a "welcome back" message for her students in her classroom on Aug. 22, 2025. Chronic absenteeism has trended down some in recent years, but remains at elevated levels, creating a challenge for schools as the 2025-26 school year starts.
Kristopher Radder/The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
School & District Management What the Research Says Schools Should Do About Chronic Absenteeism
Recent research and surveys shed some new light on America's chronic absenteeism problem.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 28, 2025
6 min read
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Jefferson County Leads the Way in Student Attendance
Hear how PowerSchool Attendance Intervention gave Jefferson County insight into attendance patterns, improved documentation, and more.
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School & District Management 3 Ways to Get Students to Care About Chronic Absenteeism
A quarter of students said missing three weeks of school wasn't a problem in a new survey.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 20, 2025
4 min read
Photo of children’s shadows on pavement.
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School & District Management Is Missing 3 Weeks of School a Problem? A Quarter of Students Say No
District leaders say cutting absences is among their most pressing challenges. Many students don't think it's such a big deal.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, August 20, 2025
4 min read