A new analysis from Attendance Works and the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins University takes a closer look at chronic absence rates at the school level. Using 2024-25 data from 31 states, the analysis shows that while many states have made progress since the height of the pandemic, most still have more schools with high or extreme levels of chronic absence than they did before the pandemic. 

Knowing how many schools have chronic absence rates of at least 20% is not always obvious when looking at the overall chronic absence rate for a state. When schools are faced with large numbers of children who are missing 10% or more days of school, solutions are beyond the capacity of a single school social worker or counselor to address. The analysis includes bright spot stories from schools in different regions showing how educators are using a comprehensive approach with creative, tailored strategies to move the needle on student attendance and engagement.