September is Attendance Awareness Month

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Attendance is critical to increasing student achievement and graduation goals.

Aim for 100% attendance for a better future for your child.

Research unequivocally demonstrates that daily school attendance is a powerful catalyst for students’ emotional and cognitive growth. By fostering consistent high attendance, we can enhance students’ participation and open up a world of life opportunities for all.

The Consequences of Missing School

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

Physical attendance in school is one of the most basic conditions for a student—if a student is not in school, they are not learning. They could be falling 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

Absences Impact the Entire Classroom

Chronic absences by students also affect their peers who have good attendance. If a teacher waits to teach new material until more students are present, all students fall behind. When absent students are in school, a teacher may use class time to bring them up to speed. Evidence suggests that this reduces math achievement among students with better attendance. 

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

Parents might think that high school students miss the most days of school. However, research shows that elementary school children, particularly kindergarteners, have the highest rates of absenteeism.

When kids are absent for an average of just two days of school per month — even excused absences — it can have a negative impact. These absences can affect kids as early as kindergarten. Students who are chronically absent in kindergarten can have difficulty keeping up with their peers academically and tend to fall behind in reading. This is critical because research shows that when students are able to 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 when chronic absenteeism worsens every year from sixth to 12th grade, students are more likely to drop out of school. Dropouts face highly bleak economic and social prospects.

How Can Schools and Parents Work Together to Improve School Attendance?

Here are some evidence-based strategies that work:

Schools

Campuses can use school-based mentors who track chronic absenteeism, identify its reasons, and work with parents and students to improve attendance. Classroom teachers can also play a significant role by visiting students and texting parents about attendance. They can also send mailings home with helpful information about how attendance reduces chronic absenteeism and how to get students back on track.

Parents

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, parents play a crucial role in limiting their child’s absences, paving the way for their future success. If your child is missing school, it’s critical to identify the reasons for the absences and communicate with the teacher or school to take advantage of support services.

Paying Attention to Absences Early in the School Year

September is a perfect time to focus on attendance. Research shows that students who miss two to four days in the first month of school are more likely to become chronically absent during the school year. We can turn around attendance and achievement by paying attention to absences early in the school year and early in a child’s academic career.

District leaders hope community members, staff members, families, and students will recognize Attendance Awareness Month and pledge to reduce chronic absenteeism.

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