Chronic absenteeism is one of the biggest challenges K-12 schools face across the United States.
Poor attendance is linked to lower academic achievement across all grades, from kindergarten to high school. Missing school affects both absent students and the overall school, as time and resources are dedicated to the issue.
A new report from the HEDCO Institute at the University of Oregon offers promising approaches to reduce chronic absenteeism, including curriculum changes and better communication with parents.
The report is based on a meta-analysis by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Chicago who synthesized findings from 49 studies of interventions to reduce chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year.
"We regularly talk with educators about the challenges they face and chronic absenteeism has consistently been a top concern," said Elizabeth Day, a research assistant professor and assistant director of outreach at the HEDCO Institute. "When we found this new study, we were excited to highlight the findings and distill down the strategic, research-backed approaches that can potentially bring students back to school and help them stay engaged."
The study authors identified five promising approaches.
Approaches to reduce absenteeism
1. Change curriculum and instruction
Increase engagement by using culturally relevant teaching methods and strategies.
2. Foster relationships and mentoring
Pair students with adult mentors or case managers, or have older students mentor younger students.
3. Increase family connectedness to school
Use interventions to engage parents, such as home visits or parenting support services.
4. Take a "whole school" approach
Implement "school climate" reforms, evidence-based strategies to help students feel safe, supported and connected to school; or early warning systems to analyze attendance, behavior and achievement to identify students at risk of failing or dropping out.
5. Message parents about attendance
Communicate via "nudges," short messages informing parents of their child's attendance records.
"We regularly talk with educators about the challenges they face and chronic absenteeism has consistently been a top concern."
Elizabeth Day
Research assistant professor, HEDCO Institute at the University of Oregon
The HEDCO Institute report found that schools that implement interventions like those in the studies have a 77% chance of reducing chronic absenteeism, assuming the school and students are similar to those in the studies.
Interventions that message parents or implement schoolwide reforms had the greatest impact. Students in schools with interventions that messaged parents were about 18% less likely to be chronically absent, and students in schools that enacted comprehensive reforms, like early warning systems that analyzed attendance and student progress, were about 12% less likely to be chronically absent, according to the report.
Chronic absenteeism is more than an attendance issue. Students who miss substantial instructional time are more likely to struggle academically, disengage socially and fall behind their peers, according to a 2025 report from the U.S. Department of Education.
Although school attendance has gradually improved since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, absenteeism rates are still far higher than before 2020. About one in four students was chronically absent in 2024, up from about one in seven in 2019, national data shows.
Many factors may contribute to this post-pandemic rise. The persistent problem creates challenges for educators, who find it hard to maintain instructional continuity, and for school leaders, who must devote significant staff time and resources to monitoring attendance and implementing interventions.
"Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism continues to plague our districts," said Mark Mulvihill, superintendent of the InterMountain Education Service District in Pendleton. "In particular, poor student attendance in the primary grades is a growing concern. If students do not attend school regularly, they significantly decrease their odds for future success."
The 2026 meta-analysis was funded by the Institute of Education Sciences grant R305U240001 and the Smith Richardson Foundation.
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