Nearly 1 in 4 students are chronically absent from school – kids who feel happy and safe are less likely to miss class

Research on absenteeism often focuses on factors like unreliable transportation, overlooking what schools themselves can do to help kids maintain a steady attendance record.

By: Jerome A. Graham, Michigan State University; Su Yon Choi, Florida Atlantic University, and Yi-Chih Chiang, Idaho State University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 19, 2026

Words: 1,207

Last Updated: 2 months ago

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By Jerome A. Graham, Michigan State University; Su Yon Choi, Florida Atlantic University, and Yi-Chih Chiang, Idaho State University

Chronic absenteeism – referring to students who miss 10% or more days of the school year – has become one of the most urgent problems across American schools since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Before the pandemic, about 15% of students across the country missed that much school.

That figure roughly doubled …

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