Fifty-One Schools Report a Decline in Absenteeism
One of the surest indicators of success in the classroom sounds like one of the simplest: showing up to school. High attendance and low absenteeism contributes to everything from a student being at grade level in their academic studies to earning their high school diploma to being prepared for their next steps in life.
That is why Des Moines Public Schools launched its Every Day Matters campaign earlier this year, to raise awareness about the critical issue of chronic absenteeism, and why Iowa has enacted new laws to try and address this important issue. While good attendance sounds simple, there are a multitude of reasons and factors that make it difficult for some students to regularly attend.
At the most recent School Board meeting, Superintendent Ian Roberts provided the public with an update on where things stand at this point in the 2024-25 school year. While there is much work to be done, there are several positive signs of progress:
- Fifty-one schools have seen a decline in absenteeism compared to the same point in time a year ago.
- Eleven of those schools have declined by 10% or more!
- Twenty out of 59 school buildings have a chronic absenteeism level of 15% or less.
- Four of those schools have a chronic absenteeism rate under 10%.
- Based on a month-to-month report, 57 of 59 buildings have decreased their chronic absenteeism from October 18 to November 18th, meaning there are students who were chronically absent in October who have now attended enough to no longer meet that designation.
“Chronic absenteeism has been in the public space more than ever around the country, as most every school district stuggles with this issue one way or another,” noted Dr. Roberts. “We have an amazing team at DMPS who are committed to meeting the challenge of chronic absenteeism and whose good work is making a difference.”
One school noted in particular at the meeting was King Elementary School, which saw a decline of 20.6% in their absenteeism rate compared to November 2023. Principal Renita Lord pointed to several strategies the school used that have led to these improvements. One was simply lots of communication through newsletters, signage, and letters to parents and guaridans. Another was recognizing families for their work to improve attendance as well as school teachers and staff for personally reaching out to families when their child was absent. The school also holds celebrations to mark milestones in good attendance as well focusing on individual problem solving with families who continue to see their child be chronically absent or tardy.
Dr. Roberts pointed out that several schools practice similar strategies and that such work is something to replicate at schools throughout DMPS.
What is chronic absenteeism? In short, it is missing 10% of school days. In a typical month, that could be as few as two days out of the month. When a student becomes chronically absent in Iowa, state law now requires schools to send a certified letter to parents or guardian to inform them of this and possible next steps if it continues, including being refered to the County Attorney and truancy court proceedings.
While there are many positive trends around attendance and absenteeism at DMPS, there is still much work to do. For example, six schools, including three non-traditional program – District-Wide Programs, Ruby Van Meter and Virtual Campus – have chronic absenteeism rates currently above 50%. Eight schools saw their absenteeism rate increase compared to the same point in time last year.
“Our approach is gaining traction in reducing our chronic absenteeism rate but we will also continue to listen to and work with our families to do what we can to address the causes and challenges that lead to poor school attendance,” added Dr. Roberts.