"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."
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.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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