COLUMBIA, S.C. – Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% of school days or more in one academic year and it’s a persistent nationwide problem, according to the Department of Education (DOE). Now, many school districts are working to get students back to the classroom, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.
The U.S. rate of chronic absenteeism reached about 31% in the 2021-2022 school year and decreased to 28% in the 2022-23 school year, according to DOE.
Dr. Michelle Barrett, Edmentum’s SVP of Research, Policy & Impact, said students might be absent from school for many different reasons. Students might have high anxiety or a medical issue, could lack transportation to school or not understand the consequences of accruing absences. But no matter the reason, Barrett believes each of those problems requires a different kind of intervention…