Attendance Counts

Your child’s attendance is important to us. There is a lot of research on the importance of good attendance in elementary school.

• Children can suffer academically if they miss just 10% of school days which is only one or two days a month.
• Absences add up! Both unexcused and excused absences represent lost time in the classroom and a lost opportunity to learn.
• Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Children who miss too many days in kindergarten and first grade can struggle academically in later years and often are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
• Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school- and themselves. Start building this habit early so they learn that going to school on time, every day, is important.
• Good attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work.
• Too many absent students can affect the whole classroom, slowing down instruction. Getting to school late also disrupts class and can lead to children missing important parts of the school day.
• Of students who attended regularly in Kindergarten and First Grade, 64% were proficient readers at the end of 3rd grade. Of students who were chronically absent (missed 10% or more) only 17% were proficient readers at the end of 3rd grade.
• By 6th grade, chronic absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school. The other two are poor behavior and failing grades in math and English.
• By 9th grade, regular attendance is a better predictor of whether a student will graduate high school than their 8th grade state test scores.