Facts about attendance:

• Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year.

• Half of the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school (Chronic Absenteeism)

• One in 10 kindergarters and first grade students are chronically absent.

• Poor attendance can influence whether students read proficiently by the end of 3rd grade or if they need to be held back.

• By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.

• Students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others for reasons beyond their control; such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and lack of access to health care.

• Attendance improves with schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students.

Information found at Attendanceworks.org