Study: School-Wide Attendance Rates and Firearm-Involved Expulsions in Michigan K-12 Public Schools, 2018-2022 (DOI: 10.1080/15388220.2025.2491812)
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Higher student attendance coincides with fewer illegal gun-related expulsions in Michigan public K-12 schools, according to research led by the University of Michigan.
A new study published in the Journal of School Violence and conducted by researchers at U-M's Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention found that schools with higher attendance rates-meaning students who show up for more than 90% of school days-are less likely to have expulsions for bringing firearms to school.
Analyzing data from more than 2,800 Michigan K-12 public schools over four academic years (from 2018-19 through 2021-22), the study found that for every 1% increase in students with good attendance, the chances of a firearm-related expulsion dropped by 3%.
Firearms are the leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, according to federal data, and in 2022, there were 46 shootings at K-12 schools in the United States, more than in any year since 1999.
The study, led by Rebeccah Sokol, U-M assistant professor of social work, found that 77 of the more than 2,800 schools examined expelled students for gun possession during the four-year study period.
"To reduce firearm violence in schools, we must first identify opportunities to decrease the likelihood that a student brings a firearm to school," said Sokol, who serves as training and education core co-director at the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention.
"Consistent attendance can help students engage in school and develop academically, socially and emotionally-all which can collectively decrease the likelihood of school violence and risky firearm behaviors."
The study team accounted for multiple factors that could cause chronic absenteeism, including individual, peer and school circumstances that combine to make attending school difficult or not a priority.
"The findings provide us with a promising universal intervention focus for reducing student firearm possession at school and improving school safety," Sokol said. "Firearm injury prevention at any level requires a multifaceted, comprehensive approach, and this is just one more tool we can add to our toolbox to keep school-aged children safe."
Written by Kate Barnes, Office of the Vice President for Research
