Fewer students are missing school. These state policies may have helped
LA Johnson/NPR
After nearly doubling during the pandemic, the rates of chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools are finally showing steady signs of improvement.
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss at least 10% of a school year. In most states, that means missing about 18 days a year, regardless of whether the absences were excused.
"Thousands of students have returned to schools, which means that states are putting in the work," said Carl Felton, III, a policy analyst at EdTrust, a nonprofit that advocates for underrepresented students.
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