September designated as 'School Attendance Awareness Month'

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama education leaders said school attendance and classroom engagement remain top priorities for the 2025-2026 school year, with September officially designated as School Attendance Awareness Month.

A release from the Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE) stated that national research emphasizes the importance of regular attendance in achieving student success, noting that students who are chronically absent in grades eight through 12 are more than seven times more likely to drop out, as compared to those with consistent daily attendance.

The release added that Alabama schools are increasing outreach to help families overcome barriers such as transportation, healthcare access, and housing instability, as chronic absenteeism often reflects the real-world challenges families may face.

A recent national report, "Lingering Absence in Public Schools: Tracking Post-Pandemic Chronic Absenteeism into 2024," found that Alabama has one of the lowest absenteeism rates in the nation. To help continue that trend, Attendance Works released a series of talking points families can use to keep the conversation going:

• 1. Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. *Nationally, half of students who miss 2-4 days of school in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
   
• 2. Over 8 million U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each year.
   
• 3. Absenteeism and its ill effects can start early. *Nationally, one in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.
   
• 4. Poor attendance can influence whether children are reading proficiently by the end of third grade.
   
• 5. By 6th grade chronic absence becomes a leading indicator if students may eventually drop out of high school.
   
• 6. The attendance crisis is having a broad impact on learning, given that 61 percent of schools nationally had high (20-29%) or extreme (30%+) levels of chronic absence.
   
• 7. The national report, "Lingering Absence in Public Schools: Tracking Post-Pandemic Chronic Absenteeism into 2024," detailed the nation’s recent absenteeism statistics. It explored current data trends and national best practices. The final data presented in this national report indicates that Alabama now has one of the lowest absenteeism rates in the country.
   
• 8. Research shows missing 10 percent of school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects students’ academic performance – this can be as little as just two days a month.
   
• 9. The academic impact of missing school is the same whether the absences are excused or unexcused (in the traditional classroom or during remote/online learning).
   
• 10. When students improve their class attendance, they improve their academic prospects and chances of graduating on time.

For more resources on helping improve school attendance, click here.

By Jeremy Jackson