A new report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum found that Wisconsin schools’ chronic absenteeism is improving marginally but still well above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Over the course of the 2022–23 school year, 19.5% of K–12 students in the state’s public and charter schools were chronically absent, with at least 10% of possible attendance days missed — around 18 or more days in total.
Those rates are down slightly from the 2021–22 school year, which saw nearly 23% of students chronically absent; however, according to the Department of Public Instruction, from 2006–20, absenteeism rates stayed under 13%.
The data for Madison mirrors the trend: In 2022–23, 35.4% of its students were chronically absent. That number was 36.7% the year before.
The trend applies across race and ethnicity, gender, income level, and disability status. The Wisconsin Policy Forum report shows that Wisconsin’s Black and American Indian or Alaskan Native students continue to show the highest rates of chronic absenteeism.
The youngest students in the state have shown the slowest attendance recovery.
The report directs several approaches for combating chronic absenteeism, including:
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Targeted communications about the risks of chronic absenteeism, including slower academic progression, a decrease in the likelihood of graduation, and less money earned later in life; and
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Highlighting resources such as mental health professionals and mentors available to students within schools.
