“It gave me something to look forward to,” said Jean-Baptiste, 16. The following year, he cut his absences in half. Schoolwide, the share of chronically absent students declined from 35% in March 2023 to 23% in March 2024 - one of the steepest declines among Massachusetts high schools.
Years after COVID-19 upended American schooling, nearly every state is still struggling with attendance, according to data collected by The Associated Press and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee.
After as much as a year at home, school for many kids has felt overwhelming, boring or socially stressful. More than ever, kids and parents are deciding it's OK to stay home, which makes catching up even harder.
Schools are working to identify students with slipping attendance, then providing help. They're working to close communication gaps and make school more engaging.
[
Collection
]
[
|
...
]