INDIANAPOLIS—Over the last two years, the state’s chronic absenteeism rates have improved according to the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE). Still, the department and several lawmakers said much more work needs to be done to get those numbers back to pre-pandemic levels.
”Over 17 percent of our students are missing about a month a school a year,” Indiana Education Secretary Katie Jenner said.
In response to concerns about chronic absenteeism, Jenner said the IDOE recently released an attendance dashboard—highlighting what the issue looks like in every Indiana school.
”Part of what we’re doing as a state is making sure all of our absenteeism data is totally transparent,” Jenner said. “The more that we can get schools, parents and families working together to make sure the student is at school, the better we’re going to see those learning outcomes.”
According to IDOE data, chronic absenteeism in Indiana is most prevalent at the beginning and end of a student’s school career.
”Our lower primary grades, kindergarten, 1st, 2nd grade, and then our high school grades—that’s where we’re seeing the most absenteeism,” Jenner said.