Chronic absenteeism rose to record highs in schools throughout America during thecoronavirusepidemic continues to persist at alarmingly high levels even today.
The Education Department (DoE) describes chronic absenteeism as when students skip 10 percent or more of the school year.
Chronic absenteeism rose sharply to 31 percent during the 2021-2022 school year, yet even four years later, students continue to skip classes at historically high levels.
Absenteeism has decreased to 19.3 percent, but student absences are considered 'more frequent' and 'more severe' after the pandemic, according to a study by theAmerican Enterprise Institute (AEI) has found.
Recent statistics, covering data up to March 2025, indicate that absenteeism levels continue to be 50 percent greater than prior to the pandemic.
Absenteeism has dropped by 0.3 points compared to the previous year, yet specialists caution that, at the present pace, it could take a minimum of two decades for student absence rates to reach pre-pandemic levels.
Teachers are making efforts to encourage students to attend school, with certain school districts offering payments for regular attendance.
Some have advised educators to include attendance in grading or restrict the number of online assignments that can be submitted,The Boston Globe reports.
Thirty states indicated that over 30 percent of their students were absent for at least three weeks during the 2022-23 academic year, as reported bylatest data from the DoE.
The report, released earlier this year, found that absenteeism is still at its peak in Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia.
During the 2022-2023 school year, Oregon had absenteeism rates of 44 percent, with Hawaii and New Mexico reporting 43 percent each.
Washington, D.C., however, reported an absenteeism rate of 47 percent — the highest in the nation, as per the data.
The AEI report, which includes information from the previous year, reported that the highest absenteeism rates are in Hawaii, where a rate of 34 percent was recorded in 2024.
Connecticut was next with 30 percent, while DC placed third in the worst category at 29 percent, as per the AEI data.
Experts note that missing school is caused by various, yet frequently linked, elements such as students not being involved, limited availability of support for students and their families, and issues related to the health of students and their families.
They claim that absenteeism is most prevalent among 'high-needs groups,' such as students from low-income families.
Students with disabilities are 36 percent more prone to long-term absenteeism compared to their peers without disabilities, according to the DoE.
Absenteeism rates are also 20 percent greater among students who are learning English compared to those who are fluent or native speakers.
The Department of Education has urged states and school districts across the country to tackle the reasons behind student absences and 'convey a strong message' to students and families that 'attendance is essential'.
Officials from the district in Detroit, Michigan, and Oakland, California, have allocated funds to encourage students to attend school.
Detroit allocates as much as $1,000 each year per student to promote regular attendance, according to specialists who claim this initiative can boost attendance by several days every year.
A member of the Boston School Committee has urged authorities to initiate a comparable initiative in the Massachusetts city, according to the Globe.
New data shows that Massachusetts had a total absenteeism rate of 15 percent last year.
Other specialists have supported the idea of schools implementing 'negative nudges' or consequences for students who do not fulfill attendance criteria.
Robert Balfanz, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Education, proposes that linking attendance to academic performance might encourage students who are considering skipping to attend classes.
Tim Daly, the CEO of the educational nonprofit EdNavigator, has proposed that schools improve attendance by addressing students who are not getting enough sleep.
A study carried out by the group revealed that 'lack of sufficient sleep' was the primary cause of student absences following an illness.
Daly proposed that schools might 'support children with their bedtime routines' by turning off features on devices provided by the district during specific hours.
"Occasionally, when children stay up too late, they claim they're using the devices for homework, but in reality, they're watching videos," he mentioned at AEI's symposium on chronic absenteeism in May.
Not only would [disabling them] stop them from doing that, [schools] can notify parents when it happens, indicating it's time to go to sleep.
Some school districts have modified the start times of high schools to more closely match the sleep patterns of teenagers.
Mary Beth Miotto, a pediatrician and former leader of the Massachusetts branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has also encouraged healthcare providers to view school attendance as a key indicator of health.
Miotto contended that elevated absenteeism has adverse effects on both physical and mental well-being, including contributing to higher high school dropout rates and reducing life expectancy.
She emphasized the importance of physicians advising parents to ensure their children attend school regularly, while engaging in constructive discussions about attendance without causing concerns regarding absenteeism.
The pediatrician thinks that every primary care physician, emergency room staff, and urgent care doctors should be inquiring with families about school attendance.
"We can invest all the funds into schools and educators, but if students aren't present, it won't make a difference," Miotto said to the Globe.
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