• In the 2022-2023 school year, schools nationally reported that 27 percent of students were chronically absent. 
• Native American and Pacific Islander high school students at high-poverty schools had the highest rates of chronic absenteeism at 56 percent and 51 percent, respectively.
• Among states, Wyoming schools with high poverty levels had the highest rate of chronically absent students (70 percent).
• Across all grade levels, Black students in high-poverty schools had a chronic absenteeism rate of 40 percent, nearly twice the rate of their counterparts in low-poverty schools (21 percent).

Chronic absenteeism typically occurs not because a student lacks a desire to attend school, but often, especially among young students, it can be tied to chronic health conditions, a lack of adequate transportation to and from school, and disciplinary actions such as suspensions that disproportionately impact students of color. Almost half of all Native American and Pacific Islander students are chronically absent, and students with disabilities are more likely to experience absenteeism than students without disabilities. When students miss school, they miss out on important learning time, which impacts their ability to read at grade level and graduate on time. 
 

• Standardize the definition of student absenteeism nationally. This will strengthen the consistency of chronic absenteeism data in order to ensure that broad scale responsive actions can be taken at the state and national level. 
• Adapt chronic absenteeism prevention outreach strategies to meet the unique needs of each student, with the baseline for outreach being that addressing absenteeism is not the sole responsibility of a student and their family. Tiered interventions support the universal school network, such as concise communication about attendance expectations and schedules, as well as a range of more individualized approaches depending on the severity of absence frequency. Early-stage interventions can be tutoring or restorative alternatives to suspensions. More intensive interventions can include housing stability support.
• School districts, local governments, and transit agencies can provide free or reduced fares for local transportation services.
• Fund the expansion of transportation infrastructure for transit agencies, particularly in rural areas.
• Implement equitable growth policies that reduce poverty and increase the economic security of low-income families with children by connecting people with employment in good jobs.
• Reform harsh, "zero tolerance" school discipline policies to keep youth in school and on track to graduate.

• Data:  Educational Data Portal; Serious Disciplinary Actions Taken by Public Schools
• Reports: 3 Tiers of Intervention, The New Absenteeism: What Measuring Attendance Misses; Reducing Chronic Absenteeism; Chronic Absenteeism in U.S. Schools Rose During Pandemic — and Hasn’t Recovered