Striving for Strong School Attendance
Lianne Novak, author and data compilation by Ashley Lewis
The return of school in the fall is the perfect opportunity to review ways to ensure that children are making it to school on time and are prepared for the year. Attendance is a critical driver of student success from Pre-K through high school. Missing more than 10% of school- or 2 days each month- can have detrimental effects on learning. In Pre-K and elementary school, this can impact learning to read and early math skills, along with building relationships with classmates and teachers. By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school, and by 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores. In a national report by RAND, many students report that missing 3 weeks of school is ok. Self-reported reasons for missing school during the 2024-25 school year included due to illness, mental health reasons (e.g., depression and anxiety), oversleeping and being uninterested in school.
In Cortland County, during the 2023-24 school year, 21.3% of elementary and middle school students were chronically absent from school, and 27.4% of high school students were chronically absent from school. Most school districts had chronic absenteeism rates higher than the County-wide rates. District rates are also higher among those who receive accommodations at school and students who have lower socioeconomic status. You can see the tables in an attached PDF. The reason for these absences is not documented by NYSED. However, some possibilities include:
Students receiving accommodation might have physical disabilities that increase the number of days they have medical appointments or are ill and cannot attend school.
Those who have lower socioeconomic status might experience transportation issues due to parents working multiple jobs or those with inflexible schedules. These students might also be working themselves to contribute to family earnings and therefore miss school to sleep or due to illness which could have been brought on from stress and insufficient sleep.
Additionally, RHI’s youth survey data shows that students in grades 7-12 who experienced bullying were more likely to also report skipping school in the last 4 weeks compared to those who have not experienced bullying. We cannot conclude that bullying caused skipping school from the survey or that these students are chronically absent.
Steps your family can take this school year to have the best school attendance possible
Work together as a family to start the year off right! Remind your family that teachers and healthcare providers can help throughout the school year. You can start by setting routines and discussing school life is important. What that looks like will be slightly different depending on a child’s age and grade.
For all grades:
Shift to and establish regular bedtime so that everyone can get 8-10 hours of sleep before the alarm goes off.
Save time in the morning by laying out clothes and packing backpacks the night before.
Take time to attend open houses or “meet the teacher” night as a family.
Plan how and when students will get to school by looking at bus schedules, coordinating rides or a schedule and route of walking to school.
For Pre-K and Kindergarten:
Make up silly songs about everyday routines (such as getting breakfast, going to school).
Read to your child each night in your home language. Books can address children’s concerns in playful ways and supportive conversations.
Work together to pick out an outfit for the next day.
Develop a health plan with your school if your child is at high risk for complications from common illnesses.
For Elementary Schoolers:
Create backup plans for transportation by talking to friends, neighbors, and family members.
Talk to other parents, school counselors and teachers if your child seems anxious about going to school. They can provide advice for making your child excited about learning and ways to comfort your child during the transition.
Ask teachers for resources and ideas to continue learning at home if a child must stay home due to illness or other medical reasons.
For Middle and High Schoolers:
Prioritize school by helping your child maintain daily routines, such as finishing homework and winding down before bed to get a good night’s rest.
Discuss your child’s feelings and learn whether they are engaged by their classes and feel safe from bullies.
Monitor your teen’s academic progress and encourage them to seek help from teachers or tutors when necessary.
Ensure that teachers know how to contact you and that you know how to contact teachers.
Know your teen’s contacts and friends. Peer pressure can result in skipping school, and students without many friends can feel isolated.
Encourage your teen to join meaningful activities that they enjoy, including sports and clubs.
Support your teen if you notice signs of anxiety or depression.
Ask for advice from school staff or health providers if you notice signs of anxiety or your teen has other changes in mental health or behaviors.
Resources
You can review the data figures provided by the New York State Education Department by selecting the school of interest, and looking at the school’s report card at the NYSED Data website.
Information for other content in this post came from the Attendance Works handouts for families (in-person instruction) page.
