#AttendanceMattersRI is a priority project of Governor Dan McKee and Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green.
Here’s why:
School attendance is a powerful predictor of student outcomes. Rhode Island defines chronic absenteeism as the percentage of students who miss 10% or more of school days during the year (or two days per month). Attending school every day is even more critical in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Who is affected?
The pandemic critically impacted chronic absenteeism nationwide. In Rhode Island, 24.7% of students were chronically absent during the 2023-2024 school year. That’s nearly 1 in 4 children!
Establishing partnerships with municipal leaders, LEAs, and community organizations that prioritize addressing student chronic absenteeism
Pandemic impact
While chronic absenteeism improved last school year by 4.2 percentage points from SY22-23, there is still more work to be done in Rhode Island schools.
Why does it matter?
Children who are chronically absent in kindergarten and first grade are less likely to read on grade level by the third grade.
Chronic absenteeism is linked to increased suspensions, teen substance use, as well as poor health as adults.
Students who drop out of school are less likely to succeed in a career. In fact, a high school graduate makes, on average, over a lifetime, $1 million more than a student who dropped out.
Chronic absenteeism is the single strongest predictor of dropping out before graduation.
85% of students who drop out of high school were chronically absent. This can be predicted as early as third grade, based on their early elementary school attendance.
Learning Impact
Significant performance gaps exist for students who are chronically absent. Chronically absent students, on average, performed lower than their not chronically absent peers by 19.9%-26% on 2023 assessments.
This is the dramatic effect that absences have on our student’s success.
How is RIDE addressing this?
Supporting local education agencies (LEAs) to address student absenteeism through RIDE’s Attendance Nudge tool, which allows principals to communicate with families when student absences become a concern
In fall 2023, Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Angélica Infante-Green convened the Chronic Absenteeism Working Group made up of a diverse body of stakeholders from education, health, law enforcement, government, business, community organizations, and more. The group will share best practices, raise awareness, and develop strategies to improve student attendance across Rhode Island.
Publishing interactive data tools including a real-time attendance leaderboard and a community dashboard detailing chronic absenteeism data and trends
What They’re Saying
“Addressing chronic absenteeism is an all-hands-on-deck effort. It is our collective responsibility to reinforce the importance of regular school attendance and inspire students to stay engaged in their education.”
- Governor Dan McKee
“Evidence indicates that the barriers to learning implied by the sharp increase in chronic absenteeism merit further scrutiny and policy responses.”
- Thomas Dee, Stanford University’s Graduate School of Education - Higher Chronic Absenteeism Threatens Academic Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic
“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rhode Island is transforming the way we address student attendance issues and promoting active participation from students, families, and communities across the state.”
- Commissioner Infante-Green
“The North Providence School District is committed to increasing student attendance because the data clearly shows that students who attend school regularly outperform those who do not.”
- Superintendent Joseph B. Goho
“Irregular attendance can be a better predictor of whether students will drop out before graduation than test scores.”
- United States Department of Education - CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM IN THE NATION'S SCHOOLS