Findings

Congress finds the following: (1) Students who are chronically absent—meaning they miss 10 percent or more of the school year—are more likely to fall behind academically, which can lead to hardships later in life. These students are nearly four times more likely to not graduate from high school. This leaves them prone to living in poverty, suffering from diminished health, and being involved in the criminal justice system later in life. (2) The Research and Development Corporation (RAND) found that around 22 percent of students were chronically absent during the 2024–2025 school year. No State has fully returned to pre-pandemic levels. (3) According to the Department of Education, during the 2024–2025 school year, students of color, specifically American Indian, Black, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander students, were disproportionately represented in students who are considered chronically absent. According to research by Stanford University, local immigration raids have dramatically exacerbated chronic absenteeism amongst Latino students, specifically with younger students. These years are critical in education formation and foundation and missing school can further exacerbate learning inequalities. (4) The Department of Education has found that chronic absenteeism is widespread, stemming from a wide range of often overlapping internal and external factors. External factors include homelessness, challenges within families, and transportation; while internal factors include health concerns, fear of bullying, concern for safety, and not valuing daily school attendance. Therefore, it is critical to have cross-sector collaborations and multifaceted strategies that incorporate parents (or guardians, as appropriate) and public and community partners. (5) According to EdTrust, chronic absenteeism can be improved by investing in professional development for teachers and professionals to help increase relationships amongst students, parents, and their community. Research from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research demonstrates that attendance is higher in schools where students’ relationships with their peers and teachers are stronger and that teachers’ reports of their relationships with parents were also significantly related to absence rates in their school in both middle grades and high schools. Research on Social and Emotional Learning has shown that students who demonstrate improved social and emotional learning skills are less likely to be chronically absent. In addition, early intervention with tiered-approach responses has been shown to reduce chronic absenteeism. (6) Research from Stanford University demonstrates that high-impact tutoring can serve as an effective intervention to reduce student absenteeism. A 2025 study found that students were 1.2 percentage points less likely to be absent on days when they were scheduled to receive tutoring, with the strongest effects observed among middle school students and those with a history of chronic absenteeism. The study further found that tutoring programs were most effective at improving attendance when they incorporated evidence-based design features, including small group instruction, frequent sessions, and delivery during the school day.