Family Resources
Attendance Matters!
The Importance of Student Attendance
If you are a parent of a school aged student I am sure you have heard someone say “attendance matters” or “attendance is important.” But what does that truly mean? How important is it really to attend school regularly?
So first let’s start with some basic facts. The school calendar we work with accounts for 180 academic school days for our students. Research shows that a student should be present 95% of the time to meet regular attendance standards. In a 180 day school year, that means the student should be present at least 171 school days to be considered in regular attendance. This means that if a student misses 10 or more school days in the school year they fall into the “at risk” category. If your child misses an average of one school day per month then your child falls into the category of an “at risk” student.
So what is the danger of being an “at risk” student? Research clearly shows that students who miss 10 or more school days will be adversely affected in their learning. In fact, 64% of students who have regular attendance will meet reading standard by the end of 3rd grade. However, only 43% of students who are “at risk” in attendance during their Kindergarten or 1st grade year will meet reading standard by the end of their 3rd grade year. Research also shows, that students who do not meet grade level in reading by their 3rd grade year or 4x less likely to graduate high school.
