Why Is School Attendance Important?

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Research shows daily school attendance positively impacts students’ social, emotional, and cognitive development. School participation maximizes life opportunities for all students. It gives them the foundation they need to succeed in school and life.

When students are absent for fewer days, their grades and reading skills often improve—even among students struggling in school. Students who attend school regularly are significantly more likely to graduate from high school, setting them up for a strong future.

Physically being present in school is one of the most basic conditions for a student’s success. If a student is not in school, they are not learning what is being taught and could fall behind in earning the course credits needed to graduate.

Being chronically absent is associated with a lot of poor outcomes:

• Lower student achievement
• Lower course performance
• Lower test scores
• Retention in later years

School Attendance Is Important at All Grade Levels, Including the Early Years

Parents might think that high school students miss more days of school. Research shows that kindergarteners have the highest absenteeism among elementary school children.

When kids are absent for an average of just two days of school per month — even when the absences are excused — it can negatively impact them. These absences can affect kids as early as kindergarten. Students who are chronically absent in kindergarten have difficulty keeping up with their peers academically and tend to fall behind in reading. This is critical because research shows that when students can read on grade level by the end of third grade — the transition period where students go from learning to read to reading to learn — they are three to four times more likely to graduate high school and attend college, post-graduate, or professional development classes than their peers who struggle with reading.

The research also shows that students are more likely to drop out when chronic absenteeism worsens yearly from sixth to 12th grade. This is a status associated with poor economic outcomes.

What Parents Can Do to Improve School Attendance?

By prioritizing school attendance, families help their children get better grades, develop healthy life habits and have a better chance of graduating from high school.

While some absences may be unavoidable, limiting your child’s absences puts them on a path to future success. If your child is missing school, determine the reasons for the absences. Communicate with the teacher or school to take advantage of support services.

By taking simple measures early on, everyone can help set every child on the path to success.