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Fewer Indiana students are chronically absent from school

By Dylan Peers McCoy, WFYI News

Posted August 20, 2024

In the 2023-24 school year, 17.8 percent of Indiana students were considered chronically absent, down 1.4 percentage points from the prior year. (Eric Weddle / WFYI)

School attendance is improving for many Indiana students according to recent state data on chronic absenteeism. For the second year in a row, fewer students are chronically absent from school.

Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10 percent of the school year — about 18 days — even if those absences are excused. In the 2023-24 school year, 17.8 percent of Indiana students were considered chronically absent, down 1.4 percentage points from the prior year.

The data offers a reason for optimism at a moment when educators, leaders, and state politicians have turned their focus to improving school attendance. Chronic absenteeism surged during the pandemic, nearly doubling to peak at 21.1 percent in 2022.

Carolyn Gentle-Genitty of Butler University is an expert on absenteeism. She said the trend of improvement is a sign that the state’s increased focus on chronic absenteeism is paying off.

“Schools are doing their part. The state is doing its part,” said Gentle-Genitty, dean of Butler’s new two-year college. “Parents are learning or understanding that their students do better when they're in school, and so they're pushing them to go.”

Gentle-Genitty said that schools are offering more support for students, particularly mental health services, that are helping to keep children coming to school.

Many of the strategies that Indiana schools use to improve attendance are simple, but they can take time and dedication. Schools routinely call families in the morning when students are late, send written information to parents about the importance of attending school, and hold attendance conferences when students miss lots of days.

State lawmakers turned their attention to the state attendance crisis this year. They passed a law that calls for schools to intervene early when younger students have repeated absences without excuses.

Missing school without an excuse is called truancy, and it’s illegal in Indiana. If students miss 10 days without an excuse, parents and students can be referred to the local prosecutor.

Contact WFYI education reporter Dylan Peers McCoy at dmccoy@wfyi.org.