The attendance crisis in US schools According to the Learning Policy Institute, “chronic absenteeism remains 75% higher, on average, than prepandemic levels.” Why does this matter so much? Increased absences can significantly impact all aspects of a student’s schooling, from academic performance to school funding. Student success: The National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) reports that rising rates of absenteeism are reducing student achievement. More missed school days translates into poor academic performance, declining graduation rates, and a negative school climate. All of these factors have a domino effect on a district, causing its reputation to suffer and potentially leading to declining enrollment and future funding challenges. Funding: Six states rely on average daily attendance rates for their funding formulas—and together, they enroll 13 million students. California, Idaho, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, and Texas all see their budgets suffer when absenteeism increases. Attendance rates can also impact grant eligibility, and as mentioned above, declining enrollment—leading to poor budget outcomes for states that rely on enrollment numbers for their funding. In fact, some sources report that every year, U.S. schools lose $10.7 billion in funding due to student absenteeism. Despite the bleak numbers, attendance is showing signs of improvement. More school districts are taking on attendance challenges and implementing effective strategies, and community engagement plays a big part in that. At ThoughtExchange, we saw a 216% increase in the number of districts engaging their communities on attendance between 2019 and 2024. We also saw a 50% increase in the number of engagements that mention “attendance,” indicating that our customers are actively seeking solutions for their attendance challenges. Education leaders are reaching out to the people who can help make a difference—their students, parents, and staff—and turning their feedback into actionable plans. With this report, we did the same thing. We engaged close to 150 education leaders—including superintendents, district administrators, principals, teaching staff, and counselors—and asked them what’s driving absenteeism in their schools and what strategies are improving attendance. We used a mix of standard survey questions and open-ended questions to gather both quantitative and qualitative data, and produced powerful insights with Advisor in just a few minutes. First, let’s look at why districts are experiencing low attendance. What’s behind school attendance challenges Low attendance can be caused by many factors, and while the drop in attendance after the pandemic is significant, we wanted to dig deeper with education leaders to understand what they were experiencing in their districts. After using ThoughtExchange to gather real-time insights and expert advice from close to 150 education leaders, our AI-powered analytics got to work. And unlike traditional data analysis—which can mean spending hours or days transcribing Post-It notes and sorting data—ThoughtExchange’s analytics sorted, themed, and summarized their answers in seconds. Here’s what our participants identified as the top school attendance challenges. Student engagement or motivation For 81% of our participants, student engagement or motivation was the top contributor to absenteeism. The connection between student engagement and attendance is well documented. The 2024 Leaps Student Voice Survey found that students who reported feeling positive and engaged at school were 25% less likely to be absent than those who felt negative and disengaged. It can be a bit of a “the chicken or the egg” situation because low attendance can contribute to feelings of disengagement and vice versa—but school districts have proven that increasing engagement improves attendance. Take Salem Public Schools in Salem, MA, which piloted a student engagement program at one of its middle schools designed to improve attendance. The program aimed to provide students with more positive experiences at school, and the results were impressive: “Chronic absenteeism dropped from 28% to 12% in its first year and continued to decline below 10% the following year.” Parental involvement or support Participants identified parental involvement or support as the second top contributor to absenteeism, with 73% indicating it has a moderate to high impact. Parents play a significant role in ensuring their children attend school regularly, and also in their children’s perceptions of school. ASCD investigated the connection between parental involvement and attendance, and their research showed that schools with strong family connections pre-pandemic had significantly less chronic absenteeism post-pandemic—39% less than those who had weak connections pre-pandemic. Family economic challenges For 69% of our participants, the third top contributing factor for absenteeism is family economic challenges (e.g., housing instability and poverty). With economic challenges increasing for American families, the impact on student attendance and academic performance is significant. Research shows that the lower a student’s socioeconomic status (SES), the more likely they are to be absent from school. Contributing factors to increased absenteeism among low-SES students include neighborhood poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and increased stress at home. This suggests that SES should be a key factor in targeted interventions aimed at increasing attendance. [INSET] “ThoughtExchange Interview enabled us to interview 98 homeless families in a very short time. We have all encountered times when you want to ask the following questions or dig deeper to respond—Interview filled that gap! The stories and perspectives are integral to the process. ThoughtExchange's rich qualitative data and analytics tools developed a comprehensive needs assessment for our homeless education in record time. The improved efficiency with our time and energy is amazing.” Michael Gomez, Executive Director, State and Federal Programs Capistrano Unified School District [/INSET] Top strategies for improving school attendance We asked our conversational AI analysis tool, Advisor, to read through participants’ responses and create an action plan for school districts looking for school attendance strategies. In a few seconds, Advisor had the following report ready outlining the attendance strategies that work best for our participants. — Report: Top Rated Strategies to Improve School Attendance Improving school attendance is a critical goal for educational leaders, as consistent attendance is closely linked to academic success and overall student well-being. Based on participants’ insights and recommendations, this report outlines the top-rated strategies that education leaders should consider implementing to address attendance challenges effectively. 1. Implementing attendance incentive programs "Attendance incentives each quarter for perfect attendance students. Drawings for cool electronics donated by local businesses. Any means to motivate students to understand attendance is a major part of being a successfully employed citizen." "Developed attendance incentive program. Principals tracking students." Strategy: Develop and track attendance incentive programs where principals and teachers monitor student attendance closely. Offer rewards such as electronics, field trips, and other engaging incentives for students with perfect or improved attendance. Rationale: Incentives motivate students to attend school regularly by providing tangible rewards for their efforts. Recognizing and celebrating attendance achievements fosters a positive school culture and encourages friendly competition among students. 2. Enhancing parental engagement "Parent communication and coordination with community resources the family may need. Breaking the cycle of generational poverty." "Our district has partnered with our local judges to hold Parent Attendance meetings. These meetings review the importance of student attendance and the consequences of having excessive absences." Strategy: Establish regular communication with parents about the importance of attendance and its impact on academic performance. Partner with local judges and community resources to hold parent attendance meetings and provide support for families facing attendance challenges. Rationale: Engaging parents and providing them with resources helps address underlying issues that may contribute to student absences. Educating parents about the consequences of poor attendance and involving them in the solution fosters a collaborative approach to improving attendance. 3. Building personal relationships "Personal contact from a trusted educator. The personal touch matters now, as much as ever!" "Home visits. You get to provide resources available to these families if it’s a concern." Strategy: Ensure personal contact from trusted educators to students and their families, emphasizing the importance of attendance. Conduct home visits to provide resources and support to families with chronic absenteeism. Rationale: Personal relationships and direct communication demonstrate care and concern for students' well-being, making them feel valued and supported. Home visits allow educators to understand and address specific barriers to attendance that families may be facing. 4. Creating engaging learning environments "Implementing rigorous curriculum instruction and being very intentional with objectives and outcomes. Taking ownership of engaging instruction." "Creating engaging and innovative learning opportunities as carrots for students to be excited about going to school." Strategy: Implement rigorous and engaging curriculum instruction that sets clear objectives and outcomes for students. Develop innovative and hands-on learning opportunities that excite and motivate students to attend school. Rationale: Engaging and relevant instruction captures students' interest and makes them more likely to attend school regularly. Clear expectations and engaging activities help students see the value in their education and stay committed to their learning. 5. Monitoring and early intervention "Early warning system. Monitoring attendance is critical." "Attendance committees that include several departments collaborating to identify issues." Strategy: Utilize early warning systems to monitor attendance and identify students at risk of chronic absenteeism. Implement attendance committees that collaborate across departments to address attendance issues promptly. Rationale: Early identification of attendance issues allows for timely intervention and support for students and families. Collaborative efforts ensure a comprehensive approach to addressing attendance challenges and providing necessary resources. Conclusion Improving school attendance requires a multifaceted approach that includes incentives, parental engagement, personal relationships, engaging learning environments, and early intervention. By implementing these top-rated strategies, education leaders can create a supportive and motivating environment that encourages regular attendance and fosters academic success. --- [INSET] We did this with 150 educational leaders, but Advisor could have done the same with a group of 10,000 or more. Imagine engaging an entire community—staff, students, and parents—on your attendance policies, and having hundreds or thousands of insights analyzed and distilled into a plan that speaks directly to their concerns and suggestions. In seconds, not weeks. ThoughtExchange enables district leaders to respect their participants’ time and respond to their feedback far faster than traditional surveys and analyses allow. [/INSET] Leading the way in effective attendance policies We want to thank everyone who joined our conversation. The comprehensive and thoughtful responses that education leaders from across the country shared with us demonstrate how committed they are to student success. Every district is unique, and so are the attendance policies and interventions that will work best for its students. Staff, parents, and students themselves are the best people to turn to for effective, supported solutions. Many of our customers are currently holding these important conversations using the ThoughtExchange platform. They’re able to leverage our responsive, flexible engagement methods to get people’s real perspectives. They’re using our lightning-fast analytics to understand all angles and develop action plans that speak to their communities.