ATTENDANCE CHALLENGES

School attendance, all day, every day, is incredibly impactful on students’ academic success starting in preschool and continuing through high school. Even as your students grow older and more independent, our families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understanding why attendance is so important for success in school and in life.

 

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. However, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically. Your student is less likely to succeed if he or she is chronically absent—which means missing 18 or more days over the course of an entire school year. Research shows:

• Students chronically absent in preschool through 1st grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the end of 3rd grade. 

• By 6th grade, chronic absence is a proven early warning sign for students at risk of dropping out of school.

• By 9th grade, good attendance can predict graduation rates even better than 8th-grade test scores.

 

Absences can add up quickly. A student is chronically absent if he or she misses just two days every month! The academic impact of missing that much school is the same whether the absences are excused or unexcused.

 

We don’t want your student to fall behind in school and get discouraged. Please ensure that your student attends school every day and arrives on time. Here are a few practical tips to help support regular attendance:

• Make sure your student keeps a regular bedtime and establishes a morning routine. Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.

• Ensure your student goes to school every day unless they do not feel well.

• Avoid scheduling vacations when school is in session. Families are encouraged to take vacations during the eight weeks of summer vacation, two weeks near the holidays, or over spring break.

• Try to schedule regular doctor and dentist appointments at the beginning or end of the day or days students are off of school so that your student will only miss a portion of the day.

• Talk to teachers and counselors for advice if your student feels anxious about going to school.

• Develop backup plans for getting to school if something comes up. Call on a family member, neighbor, or another parent to take your student to school.

• Monitor your student's attendance through Infinite Campus to keep track of absences. If an absence is marked unexcused, please contact the school attendance secretary as soon as possible.

• Reach out for help if you are experiencing tough times (e.g. transportation, unstable housing, loss of a job, health problems) that make it difficult to get your child to school. We are here to help! Other parents, your child’s teacher, principal, social worker, school nurse, after-school providers, or community agencies can help you problem solve or connect you to a needed resource.

• If your child is absent, work with the teacher to make sure she or he has an opportunity to learn and make up for the academics missed.