Chronic absence is a key concern in California schools, particularly since the pandemic. We talked to Hedy Chang, executive director and president of Attendance Works, about the challenges facing schools and families—as well as strategies for addressing chronic absence.

Tell us about Attendance Works and your role there.

I founded Attendance Works in 2010 to raise awareness of chronic absence, help document its scale and impact, and identify solutions. In 2006, when the Annie E. Casey Foundation asked me to figure out whether missing too much school in kindergarten and first grade was a reason kids might not be reading by the end of third grade, I realized that the notion of chronic absence didn’t really exist. In general, people only looked at truancy (unexcused absences) and average daily attendance (how many students typically show up at school). Both can mask high levels of chronic absence (missing 10% or more of school days for any reason).

With the passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), 36 states and Washington DC decided to include chronic absence as an accountability metric in their state implementation plans. Now most states and districts monitor and produce reports on this data.

Absenteeism has long been a concern in California’s public schools, but chronic absence surged during the pandemic. What has changed and how worried should we be about long-term effects?

In 2018–19, federal data showed about eight million kids (16%) nationwide were chronically absent. Then the pandemic hit. In 2021–22, schools opened across the country and everyone thought it was going to be fine, but chronic absence nearly doubled to 14.7 million (30%) of students. In California, it rose from 755,950 (12.1%) to 1,799,735 (30%). At the time, Omicron and Delta variants were running rampant. The disrupted learning and fears over getting sick contributed to student and family disengagement as well as a lot of broken faith with schools.

Some groups, especially communities hard hit by the pandemic, were even more affected. Prior to the pandemic, for example, English Learner students came to school a little bit more than other kids, but they’re now more likely to be absent.

The pandemic exacerbated already high levels of chronic early absence. In California, kindergarten chronic absence reached 40% in 2021–22. Poor attendance among our youngest learners is especially troubling because these early years lay a critical foundation for school success.

High school attendance also declined, and we should keep in mind that high school chronic absence is probably undercounted. Because most districts are reimbursed based on average daily attendance, most secondary schools count students as present if they show up for one period.

Based on 2023–24 data available from some districts, we believe chronic absence has continued to decrease but remains elevated.

How does California compare to other states when it comes to chronic absence?

While its rates are not so different than other states, California has more opportunity than most to leverage existing initiatives to address chronic absence. For example, California spends more money than any other state on expanded learning programs. The state is also making significant investments in transitional kindergarten, community schools, and behavioral and mental health supports. All of these resources could help schools, districts, and communities take a tiered approach to improving attendance that starts with an investment in the positive conditions of learning.

What efforts have been successful? What else could be done?

The key to improving attendance is not taking punitive action but partnering with families to find out and address why kids are not showing up to school. Reducing chronic absence depends on addressing root causes: barriers, aversion, disengagement, and misconceptions.

The LA Trust for Children’s Health,  for example, found that high levels of anxiety and depression are two big factors affecting attendance. Their research also shows that providing mental health support in schools significantly improves attendance.

A key strategy is making sure families have resources that help them keep their kids healthy. The Keep Learning California partnership conducted focus groups with Latino families in LA, the Central Valley, and the Bay Area, and found that many parents still feel confused about when to keep students home due to sickness. The California Department of Public Health has issued guidance, but more outreach may be needed.

Increases in high school chronic absence are partly due to students needing to contribute financially to their families—especially if a breadwinner passed away during the pandemic. And some students may be unsure that high school will lead to a better future. To address these issues, the state could deepen investments in career technical education programs that combine school with meaningful paid internships and clear career pathways.

Attendance Works, along with the Education Trust and the American Enterprise Institute, recently issued a challenge to cut chronic absence by half. What could that mean for in California? To make progress, we need a more integrated approach. Can we, for example, leverage our investment in expanded learning to improve student connectedness and attendance? Some families talk more to expanded learning providers than to the teachers, because they are dropping off and picking up their kids. We could be leveraging extended learning staff to make sure kids feel connected to an adult, are engaged with other kids, with prosocial activities. Those are all things that help kids show up at school.