Why Attendance Matters

Chronic absenteeism was recommended by the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution to be adopted as the “fifth indicator” of student success and school quality (Schanzenbach, Bauer & Mumford, 2016) based on the accountability requirements listed in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Students who are chronically absent in middle school are more likely to drop out of high school (BERC, 2011).

Chronically absent 3rd graders were less likely to be reading on grade level (Arkansas Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, 2016).