BOSTON — Massachusetts has reduced absenteeism among public school students from record highs during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the latest data shows many students are still skipping school.
The statewide absenteeism rate was 19.6% as of March, according to the latest state data. That’s down substantially from the 2021-22 school year when the statewide absenteeism rate was 27.7% statewide. But it’s still higher than the 2018-19 school year, when the state’s rate was 12.9%, the data shows.
State education officials are hoping to build on that progress by expanding support for students, getting more kids engaged in extracurricular activities and by doing what might seem a Herculean task: making school fun.
To that aim, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education unveiled a new campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism and support students getting back into the classroom where they have access to a variety of supports, including universal free school meals and mental health services.
To kick off the ‘Your Presence is Powerful’ campaign, the state agency is asking students, school staff, educators and families in Massachusetts public pre-K-12 schools and adult learning classes to submit a creative piece of artwork, music, photography, videography or writing to “express why they attend school.”
”Absenteeism is really a manifestation of an unmet need,” Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said in a statement. “Schools offer counseling, extracurricular activities, meals, and the chance to learn with and from students’ peers. If students aren’t there, they can’t benefit from these opportunities and are missing out on so much more than their education.”
As part of the effort, the state will be providing support to school districts to support local efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism, or students who are absent more than 10% of the school year.
That support will include family engagement resources, guidance on attendance policies and best practices for schools, and information on initiatives “to promote welcoming and supportive school environments for all students.”
Nationwide, roughly one in four students in the 2022-23 school year remained chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of the school year, according to data compiled by the Associated Press and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee.
Before the pandemic, only 15% of students missed that much school, compared to 25% now, the data shows.
Experts say chronically absent students are at higher risk of illiteracy and eventually dropping out. They also miss the meals, counseling and socialization provided at school.
Recent studies suggest many of the reasons kids missed school early in the pandemic are still hampering attendance: financial hardship, transportation problems, mild illness and mental health struggles, according to experts.
Preteen girls, who have among the highest rates of absenteeism, are disproportionately impacted, according to the AP data.
That represents about 12 million children in the 42 states and Washington, D.C., where data is available, according to the AP’s report.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com