Chronic absenteeism peaked at almost 29% in 2021-22, up from 15% in 2018-19, and declined to 23.5% in 2023-24. About 48 million public K–12 students exist, and nearly 11 million miss at least 10% of school annually. Absenteeism is elevated across income and achievement levels, with rates highest in low-income districts, where roughly 30% of students are chronically absent. Low-poverty and highest-achieving districts also experienced increases from about 10% pre-pandemic to more than 15% post-pandemic. Moderate absenteeism is also rising, indicating a broad shift in attendance patterns.
Five years after the start of the pandemic, one of the most surprising ways that school has profoundly, and perhaps permanently, changed is that students aren't showing up. A recent at the American Enterprise Institute, where scholars shared research on the problem of widespread absenteeism, offered insights into the nationwide issue. Here are the key takeaways: 1. Chronic absenteeism has decreased from its peak in 2021-22, but it's still 50% higher than before the pandemic.
Roughly speaking, the chronic absenteeism rate nearly doubled after the pandemic, from 15% of students in 2018-19 to a peak of almost 29% in 2021-22. This is the share of students who are missing at least 10%, or 18 or more days, of school a year. Chronic absenteeism has dropped by about 2 to 3 percentage points a year since then, but was still at 23.5% 2023-24, according to the most recent AEI data.
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