Chronic absenteeism, defined as a student missing 10 percent or more of the school year for any reason, is a widespread challenge for schools across the United States. Rates of chronic absenteeism surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 31 percent in the 2021/22 school year, [1] and have remained high in the years following. [2] Even with a slight decline in the 2024/25 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate was still well above pre-pandemic levels.
The consequences of chronic absenteeism are profound: students who miss large portions of school are more likely to fall behind academically,[3] disengage from school,[4] and fail to complete high school.[5] Evidence suggests that to effectively alleviate the problem, four major contributors to this persistent and challenging issue must be addressed: (1) students’ disengagement and lack of connection with school, (2) misconceptions about the importance of attendance, (3) academic or behavioral struggles that lead to school aversion, and (4) personal resources and needs, such as medical/dental care, transportation, work and caregiver responsibilities, housing and food security, and community safety.[6] Unfortunately, many school leaders continue to respond to chronic absenteeism with punitive punishments, such as court referrals for truant students and their parents, student ineligibility for extracurricular activities, or suspension. These measures do not address the underlying causes of absenteeism and demonstrate little evidence of improving long-term student outcomes.[7]
Kentucky’s Approach to Addressing Chronic Absenteeism
Like many states, Kentucky has experienced rising rates of chronic absenteeism, with nearly 30 percent of students across the state chronically absent during the 2022/23 school year.[8] In response, state leaders in the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) have made reducing absenteeism an urgent priority. KDE’s Attendance Matters! campaign is a statewide public awareness initiative aimed at elevating the issue among district and school leaders, students, and families. As part of this effort, KDE created a toolkit built around three broad, research-based strategies that highlight the importance of supportive school environments, strong family and community partnerships, and an overall high-quality school experience.
KDE’s Strategies to Decease Rates of Chronic Absenteeism
Strategy 1: Increase students’ sense of school connectedness by demonstrating caring, welcoming attitudes; fostering belonging and supportive peer groups; and providing meaningful learning opportunities and activities.
Strategy 2: Strengthen family and community engagement by treating families as partners in learning and creating opportunities for community involvement that supports student success.
Strategy 3: Improve overall school climate through anti-bullying initiatives, expanded mental health supports, access to extracurricular activities, and learning experiences that connect to locally meaningful outcomes and career pathways.
KDE has also invested in robust data systems to focus support and resources aligned with these strategies. For example, a custom chronic absenteeism report helps schools identify individual students and student groups who are approaching or meeting the threshold for chronic absenteeism. In addition, KDE provides districts with several data tools, including (1) an Early Warning System that helps staff assess students’ dropout risk and select appropriate interventions, (2) Insights, a data visualization tool embedded in the state student information system that makes it easier to use data, filter by groups, and see student information with a focus on warning indicators; and 3) a Transient Student Report to identify students who have multiple school enrollments within a specific period of time, creating additional challenges related to those transitions.
KDE Early Warning System
Insights Data Visualization Tool
Note. The information presented in these images is sourced from a staged training site and does not include any personally identifiable student data.
KDE and REL Appalachia’s Partnership
Together, the Attendance Matters! campaign and KDE’s data tools demonstrate the state’s commitment to raising public awareness, addressing chronic absenteeism, and supporting student success. Still, KDE leaders recognize the need to move beyond raising awareness to supporting education leaders and school staff with concrete strategies and tailored supports. In particular, educators could use guidance on how to address the most pressing contributing factors of chronic absenteeism in their districts and schools with evidence-based, proactive strategies.
To address this need, KDE leaders are partnering with REL Appalachia (REL AP) to provide district and school leaders with training and coaching to deepen their knowledge and skills to bolster student attendance and address chronic absenteeism. KDE is using a data-driven process to identify districts for participation in the project, ensuring that support aligns with local needs and readiness and builds on their existing resources. Through this multiphase project, staff from REL AP and KDE will implement a train-the-trainer and coaching model designed to strengthen capacity at both the district and school levels and support long-term sustainability. Through structured learning sessions and ongoing coaching, REL AP will work with KDE and local teams to analyze attendance data, identify contributing factors, and select evidence-based strategies suited to their contexts and the students and families they serve. This approach will provide these education leaders with practical resources, foster shared learning across teams, and build the foundation needed to sustain these practices over time. The overall goal is to help districts and schools implement the KDE Attendance Matters! strategies effectively and promote consistent attendance and improved student engagement, performance, and achievement.
As states across the country continue to grapple with chronic absenteeism, KDE and REL AP’s coordinated partnership work, which combines data-driven insights with evidence-based strategies, offers a promising path forward for schools in the region and beyond. To learn more about KDE’s Attendance Matters! campaign, click below:
- KDE Attendance Matters! – webpage
- KDE Chronic Absenteeism Toolkit – resource
- Attendance Matters! Fact Sheet – resource
- Early Warning, Insights and Persistence to Graduation Data Tools - resource
[1] U.S. Department of Education. (2025). Chronic absenteeism: Supporting student attendance and combatting chronic absenteeism in our nation's schools. https://www.ed.gov/teaching-and-administration/supporting-students/chronic-absenteeism
[2] Diliberti, M. K., Chu, L., Rainey, L. R., DiNicola, S. E., Lake, R. J., & Schwartz, H. L. (2025). Chronic absenteeism still a struggle in 2024–2025: Selected findings from the American School District Panel and the American Youth Panel. RAND Corporation. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-34.html
[3] Ginsburg, A., Jordan, P., & Chang, H. (2014). Absences add up: How school attendance influences student success. Attendance Works. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED579993
[4] Gottfried, M. A. (2014). Chronic absenteeism and its effects on students’ academic and socioemotional outcomes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk, 19, 53-75. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-48665-001
[5] Byrnes, V., & Reyna, R. (2012). Summary of state level analysis of early warning indicators. Everyone Graduates Center, Baltimore, MD.
[6] Attendance Works. (n.d.). Chronic absence: Identify the root causes of absence. https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/addressing-chronic-absence/3-tiers-of-intervention/root-causes/
[7] Attendance Works. (2018). Reducing chronic absence requires problem solving and support, not blame and punishment. Blog article. https://www.attendanceworks.org/reducing-chronic-absence-requires-problem-solving-support-not-blame-punishment/
[8] Kentucky Department of Education (KDE). (2024). Attendance matters! Fact sheet. https://www.education.ky.gov/school/Documents/Attendance%20Matters%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf
