Enhancing student success systems. Creating a sense of belonging.

Why It Matters

The rate of chronic absenteeism has risen dramatically and has more than doubled since 2019. Students who miss 10% or more of school days are considered chronically absent. That is the equivalent of just two days per month or 18 days per year.

Missing this amount of school can have negative consequences for students and increase their likelihood of dropping out.

Attendance is an issue among all students, but several student populations, including English learners and Pacific Islanders, experience chronic absenteeism at significantly higher rates than others. In 2022 46.9% of English learners and 68.8% of Pacific Islanders throughout the four counties where Attendance Matters is active were chronically absent, compared to 26.4% of all students.

How It Works

We and our Attendance Matters partners across Dubuque, Allamakee, Clayton and Jackson counties work collaboratively to build relationships and systems that promote school attendance, with a focus on populations facing the highest rates of chronic absenteeism.

To support this work, we have partnered with The GRAD Partnership, a national organization that provides a framework for building and enhancing student success systems. What sets The GRAD Partnership framework apart from traditional student success system models is that it is evidenced-based driven by data. This helps educators identify warning signs early and intervene before students fall too far behind.