Which of the following groups is most likely to view Texas government as a model for other states

A hidden educational crisis.

• — U.S. Department of Education

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Data Illuminates the Extent of Chronic Absenteeism

At the same time, we know that many students experience tremendous adversity in their lives—including poverty, health challenges, community violence, and difficult family circumstances—that make it difficult for them to take advantage of the opportunity to learn at school.

Students who are chronically absent—meaning they miss at least 15 days of school in a year—are at serious risk of falling behind in school. Yet, for too long, this crisis in our nation's public elementary and secondary schools has not been fully understood. Now, under the Every Student Succeeds Act, many states are reporting chronic absenteeism data annually. This data story, updated with the 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC), bolsters efforts to reduce and ultimately eliminate chronic absenteeism so that all students have a better chance of reaching their full potential. The data from the CRCD is drawn from nearly every public school in the country and helps us understand who is chronically absent, at what grade levels chronic absenteeism tends to occur, and how chronic absenteeism compares community-by-community and state-by-state.

Note: Data included in this story may differ slightly from other published reports due to certain data decisions. This data story has been updated to incorporate the 2015–16 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC).

Our charts are interactive! Hover over or click on chart elements to learn more about specific data points and, where they appear, use buttons to filter charts by select groups.

OVER 7 MILLION students missed 15 or more days of school in 2015-16.

That's 16 percent of the student population—or about 1 in 6 students.

Let's take a closer look at which groups of students were more likely to be chronically absent. Disparities in chronic absenteeism by key demographic characteristics are evident, though unacceptable levels of chronic absenteeism exist for all students.

The disparities are striking. Consider the relative differences: compared to their white peers, American Indian and Pacific Islander students are over 50 percent more likely to lose three weeks of school or more, black students 40 percent more likely, and Hispanic students 17 percent more likely.

See chronic absenteeism rates for other student groups in the next chart.

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One notable trend: English learners, who face significant barriers in school and society, are approximately 1.2 times less likely to be chronically absent than their non-English learner peers. Fourteen percent of English learners are chronically absent compared to 16 percent of non-English learners.

The same is not true for students with disabilities who are 1.5 times more likely to be chronically absent than students without disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is intended to ensure all students with disabilities have access to a free, appropriate education yet chronic absenteeism is a barrier that gets in the way of achieving that goal.

At roughly 16 percent each, male and female students are similarly likely to be chronically absent.

Lost Along the Way

Chronic absenteeism occurs at every grade level but is more prevalent in some grades than others. Chronic absenteeism rates are highest in high school, according to data in the 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection. Other research suggests that students in the early elementary grades also experience high rates of chronic absenteeism, which may be masked in analyses that are only available at the school level (as is the case here). Understanding when students are most at risk will help schools and advocates better target interventions to improve student outcomes.

Overall, more than 20 percent of students in high school are chronically absent compared with more than 14 percent of students in middle school. The chronic absenteeism rate was the lowest for elementary school students, at almost 14 percent. For more information on how we defined grade levels, see the data notes.

Next, we looked at how chronic absenteeism varied across grade levels for specific groups of students.

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For each subgroup of students there is a similar pattern: the likelihood of chronic absenteeism increases as students progress into high school. Notably, the stronger overall attendance observed among English learners dissipates over grade levels, such that they experience higher chronic absenteeism than their non-English learner peers when they reach high school.

The Geography of Chronic Absenteeism

Students experience chronic absenteeism from coast to coast. Disturbingly, approximately 800 school districts reported that more than 30 percent of their students missed at least three weeks of school in 2015-16.

Hover over school districts for information, double-click to zoom in, and select a range from the legend to see specific views of the data. Select the buttons below the map to toggle between percentages for elementary and unified school districts, and independent elementary, secondary, and unified districts.

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Elementary and Unified

Independent Elementary, Secondary, and Unified

Why Chronic Absenteeism Matters: What the Research Says

Chronic absenteeism is widespread—about one out of every six students missed three weeks or more of school in 2015-16. That translates to more than 100 million school days lost. Research suggests the reasons for chronic absenteeism are as varied as the challenges our students and families face—including poor health, limited transportation, and a lack of safety — which can be particularly acute in disadvantaged communities and areas of poverty.

Whatever its causes, chronic absenteeism can be devastating:

• Chronic absenteeism may prevent children from reaching early learning milestones.

  Children who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten, and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade. Students who cannot read at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely than proficient readers to drop out of high school.

• Irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out before graduation than test scores.

  A study of public school students in Utah found that an incidence of chronic absenteeism in even a single year between 8th and 12th grade was associated with a seven-fold increase in the likelihood of dropping out.

• Frequent absences from school can shape adulthood.

  High school dropout, which chronically absent students are more likely to experience, has been linked to poor outcomes later in life, from poverty and diminished health to involvement in the criminal justice system.

The Path Forward: Every Student, Every Day

The very students who tend to face significant challenges and need the most educational supports are often missing the most school.

When our teachers, principals, policymakers, and others have access to robust data on the extent and nature of chronic absenteeism, we are all in a better position to provide students with the supports they need to stem this crisis in our schools.

The 2015 federal education law the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) empowered states to create unique statewide accountability systems. In addition to measurements of annual school performance, ESSA requires states to hold schools accountable for one measure of "school quality or student success (SQSS)" (ESSA 2015, 111-31) and 36 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico submitted plans to the U.S. Department of Education to use chronic absenteeism as one SQSS indicator. ESSA state plans outline strategies to leverage federal funds to improve attendance through teacher training, improving health services, family engagement, and school climate, important levers for increasing school attendance.

Through an array of resources, the Department of Education is committed to helping ensure all our students, especially the most disadvantaged, are in school every day, including:

• Every Student, Every Day: A national initiative to address and eliminate chronic absenteeism.

  Supports coordinated community action that addresses the underlying causes of local chronic absenteeism affecting millions of children in our nation's public schools each year.

• The Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC): A biennial survey required by the Department's Office for Civil Rights since 1968.

  The CRDC shines a spotlight on data that enable us to understand the successes and challenges of schools and school districts in providing educational opportunity to all of our nation's children.

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