Chronic Absence | Chicago Public Schools

Chronic Absence

This provides data about how often students miss school, specifically those who have missed 10 percent or more of their school days. The district will share information about how many students are missing school at each school and how this compares to network and district averages.

Why This Is Measured

Regular attendance is crucial throughout a student’s academic journey because students who miss too much school tend to have lower grades, are less likely to graduate, and may struggle in college.

Starting in preschool and kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
For elementary students, missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read.
By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.

By partnering with families and collaboratively engaging district, school, and community resources, schools aim to understand and address the underlying factors contributing to student absenteeism. The goal is to develop targeted support strategies that help remove attendance barriers and ensure students can fully participate in their education. For more information, see the Attendance and Truancy website.

What To Consider

Chronic Absence is not the same thing as Chronic Truancy. All absences are factored into Chronic Absence, including valid excused absences. Since high schools generally have higher chronic absence rates than elementary schools, a more appropriate comparison is from the school to the network and not the District.

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PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - All Students

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Economic Disadvantage

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Non-Economic Disadvantage

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - English Learner

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Non-English Learner

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Female

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Male

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Non-Binary

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - IEP

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Non-IEP

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Asian

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Asian/Pacific Islander*

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Black/African American

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Hawaiian/Pacific Islander

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Latinx

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Multiracial

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Native American

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Not Listed

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - White

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Non-Temporary Living Situation

PECK - Chronic Absence Rate - Temporary Living Situation

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