Bright Spots

Compton USD’s Attendance Journey

Compton Unified School District’s attendance improvement reflects steady, intentional system building rather than a single tactic or short-term initiative. By treating attendance as a districtwide systems issue, the district aligned leadership expectations, data routines, family outreach, and student supports into a coherent strategy grounded in shared accountability and sustained attention over time.

Audience: School and District Leadership Teams 

Source: Comprehensive Center Network, Attendance Works, CA Department of Education, CCEE

Calipatria USD: A Home-Grown Approach to Attendance Improvement

Calipatria Unified School District shows how a small, rural system can build a comprehensive, home-grown approach to improving attendance grounded in relationships, community knowledge, and adaptability. By centering trust and shared responsibility, the district is shifting from compliance to connection and from one-size-fits-all approaches to locally driven strategies.

Audience: School and District Leadership Teams 

Source: Comprehensive Center Network, Attendance Works, CA Department of Education, CCEE

Empire School District: Attendance is the Priority

Empire Union School District demonstrates how making attendance a districtwide priority can result in substantial improvement. By centering its work on building relationships, celebrating success, and fostering shared ownership, the district shifted from tracking absences to understanding them, and from enforcing rules to strengthening relationships.

Audience: School and District Leadership Teams 

Source: Comprehensive Center Network, Attendance Works, CA Department of Education, CCEE