Chronic absenteeism in schools still high across Ohio three years after spike

Almost every area charter and public school still has more students missing 10% or more of school days compared to before the pandemic, data from the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce show.

Statewide, chronic absenteeism in the 2023-2024 school year dropped to 25.6% from 26.8% in the 2022-2023 school year according to ODEW. In the 2018-2019 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate was 16.7%.

“I think it amounts to a little over 400,000 kids who are chronically absent,” said Aaron Churchill, Ohio research director for the Fordham Institute, referencing this year’s data. “That’s a significant number.”

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Churchill said some of the reasons for the high chronic absenteeism rates include students who got used to being at home during the pandemic and parents who are more likely to keep their kids at home now if they’re sick.

Digital charter schools had some of the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the area and charter high schools that work with students at risk of dropping out had some of the highest. However, the state allows digital charter schools to count attendance while students are logged in, Churchill pointed out. He also noted that chronic absenteeism is higher in high schools.

Cedar Cliff, a small Greene County district, had the lowest rate of chronic absenteeism in the area among the traditional public school districts, at 7.8%.

Northridge had the highest rate of chronic absenteeism among local traditional public schools, at 48.3%.

Credit: Marshall Gorby

Northridge superintendent Dave Jackson said there are a “ton of exciting things” happening, but the high chronic absenteeism rate has meant the gains in student achievement are not as high as the district would like.

“That is crippling us in a lot of ways,” Jackson said. “If our kids attended, I think we’d see even bigger gains.”

Northridge updated the district’s reading curriculum, seeing major gains in third grade reading scores. At the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, 21% of kindergartners were at or above the appropriate early literacy level, and by the end of the year, that number had increased to 66%.

Jackson said the district is looking to do something similar with math. He noted more students were graduating from the school district as well.

But when kids miss school, they miss instruction time.

“If kids aren’t here, how can you teach them?” Jackson said.

Dayton’s largest school district, Dayton Public, had a 45% chronic absenteeism rate in 2023-2024, down from the previous year’s 46.9%.

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DPS superintendent David Lawrence said in August he planned to hold discussions with students and parents about the importance of coming to school.

Lawrence is holding a community meeting for back-to-school expectations at noon Thursday at 115 S. Ludlow St., Dayton. Another meeting is set for 6 p.m. at Stivers School for the Arts the same day.

Middletown had a chronic absenteeism rate of 44.5% last school year. The district has been working on getting kids to come to school, launching a project called “Middie Minutes Matter” encouraging students to attend, and partnering with the “Stay in the Game! Attendance Network” put on by multiple professional Ohio sports leagues including the Cleveland Browns and FC Cincinnati.

“We know that attendance is one of the most significant predictors of academic achievement. By joining the ‘Stay in the Game!’ Attendance Network, we’re doubling down on our commitment to ensuring every Middie is present and engaged in their learning every day,” Suzanna Davis, Middletown senior director of student services, said.

In Springfield, superintendent Bob Hill congratulated the district on lowering its chronic absenteeism rate from the prior year. The school had a rate of 38%

“The correlation between improved student performance metrics and the reduction in chronic absenteeism is significant,” Hill said in a statement. “Our team is excited to build on this positive momentum.”

Brooke Spurlock contributed to this story.