A Principal’s 4 Steps for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

One of the biggest challenges far too many schools continue to face is students’ chronic absenteeism—defined as a student missing 10 percent of school days in a school year (about 18 days). Regrettably, since the pandemic, student attendance has not returned to pre-pandemic rates.

As the principal of an elementary school that returned to fully in-person learning in 2022–23, I have witnessed poor attendance firsthand. At the end of that school year, 41 percent of students were considered chronically absent. What became clear was that far too many parents and caregivers were not consistently requiring their child to attend school.

It was also clear that the administration needed to make changes in how we communicated to parents, in how the teachers notified administration when students were consistently absent, and how we held students accountable for excessive absences. Within three years, our student absenteeism decreased by over 50 percent—from 41 percent to 18.9 percent. Here is what we did to increase attendance.

The following year, we began by analyzing our data, comparing it with local and state averages, and disaggregating data from subgroups, such as low-income students, White, Black, and Hispanic students. We then identified the students who needed the most support and the necessary interventions to improve their attendance. That set the stage for implementing a four-step process. These four steps provided a model, a clear direction, and the necessary support from stakeholders to accomplish the desired goals.

1. Taking immediate action

Every day, within 30 minutes after the bell rings, student attendance is examined by at least two staff members. If a student has missed at least three consecutive days, parents or caregivers are called immediately. In some cases, with permission from district administration, a school administration team visits the student’s place of residence. The objective is to see why the student is not at school and to check on the family. This sends a message of support and accountability. We bring information to the visit that includes contact numbers for social service agencies that may offer food, clothing, or counseling, if the family needs it.

2. Asking hard questions

If a student’s absenteeism is high, building administrators begin to ask hard questions. We meet with their teachers to ask: How is the student’s behavior in class? Is student discipline a concern? If so, how do we collectively improve student discipline? Have there been in-person meetings with parents or caregivers?

We ask the parents or caregivers if there are personal matters preventing students from coming to school (such as homelessness, work, care for siblings, or mental illness). We involve social workers and counselors in this process and ask them how administrators can help mitigate some of the hardship.

At the end of every month, administrators get a printout of students who are at a high risk of surpassing 18 missed school days for the year. The aim is to see those numbers decrease.

3. Building a culture of support

Administrators must take a hard look at the culture of their building. Teachers and students thrive in peaceful and supportive environments. Students must be supported while also being held accountable for their actions. Teachers must be listened to and valued in the process.

To that end, at our school, a welcoming team meets with every new student (and their parents or caregivers) who does not come from our feeder school. This meeting includes the principal, the assistant principal, the counselor, and sometimes the social worker. We usually meet for 30 minutes, going over school expectations, rules, and procedures, and our academic data. It’s done to forge dialogue, offer support, establish relationships, promote accountability, and get a further understanding of the student’s strengths and weaknesses and their family. New students also take a diagnostic test (basic reading and math) so as to assess their academic levels and help place them in classes.

4. Engaging students

We understood the need to build and offer a wide array of extracurricular programs that pique the interest of students. At our school, we have nearly a dozen clubs and programs, including mentoring groups for girls and boys, a dance group, math and reading support, a math enrichment club, a book club, an art club, a deep sea club, a broadcasting club, a technology club, and volleyball and soccer clubs. Students can sign up for a maximum of two clubs. Club sponsors collaborate with the assistant principal to work out schedules and allow for some flexibility, if times overlap. The objective is to expose our students to different educational and fun experiences that will enrich their lives.

Depending on the size of the school, the following steps and interventions may look different.

• For larger schools, more staff may be needed to analyze daily attendance data.
• Meeting with teachers to gain their insight and input on student absenteeism may require a team of interventionists.
• Meeting with new students may require a larger team of interventionists to accommodate more students.
• In-person family meetings may require different levels of support, such as help with transportation or translation.

Improving student attendance takes all of the stakeholders. Parents, administrators, teachers, and students are all responsible for it. Families’ challenges are not easy to fix or mitigate. Building a culture of support for both the students and the teachers can help combat some of the difficulties. The message starts with an understanding that every day matters.

Through it all, when we consistently analyze data, offer support, and provide an environment where teachers can teach and students can learn, student absenteeism can, indeed, improve.