Chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year—has emerged as one of the most pressing challenges facing schools today. During the COVID-19 pandemic, national rates of chronic absenteeism nearly doubled, rising from 15 percent in 2019 to 28.5 percent in 2022. Two years later, those numbers still haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels, with 23.5 percent of students considered chronically absent in 2024. The consequences for learning are profound: students who are chronically absent in the early grades are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, more likely to fall behind academically, and at higher risk of dropping out of high school.
Despite the urgency of this issue, the field lacks rigorous evidence on what drives chronic absenteeism—particularly post-pandemic—and which solutions are most effective at reducing it. Policymakers, school leaders, and teachers have long recognized the importance of attendance, but have often lacked clear guidance on where to focus resources and which strategies are most likely to succeed...