Impacts Achievement, Teachers, and Students that do Attend
June 2025
Sections:
- A Problem that is Much Worse After Covid
- Harms Student Achievement & Teacher Morale
- Has Various Root Causes
- Solutions Require Collaborative Approaches
A Problem that is Much Worse After Covid
More than one out of five students in South Carolina public schools (23%) are chronically absent.*
This overall rate is nearly twice as high as before the Covid pandemic. Large increases occurred across student demographic groups and all school levels.
Chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic students, students in poverty (not shown), and students with disabilities.1
This is similar to what is occurring across the United States.2
Greenville County Schools, the largest school district in South Carolina, has been facing the same challenging situation with figures closely tracking those for the state. However, while the state chronic absenteeism rates shown all fell in 2023, those for the district dropped less, not at all, or increased slightly.
Chronic absenteeism data for other school districts in the state can be found by going to the “Students” section in InformEdsc.
Harms Student Achievement & Teacher Morale
Students with poor attendance suffer academically, lag in social-emotional development, are likely to drop out of school, and are ill-prepared for the workforce.3
The impact of chronic absenteeism starts early. Chronic absence in elementary school (where rates generally are highest in kindergarten) hurts reading and math achievement and increases the likelihood of dropping out. This holds true even if attendance improves over time.4
Teachers of chronically absent students experience lower morale and job satisfaction. This is true for both experienced and inexperienced teachers.5
Students who do regularly attend classes also suffer academically when large numbers of their peers fail to show up.6
Has Various Root Causes
At home this includes –
- Chronic health issues for the student or family members and substance abuse7
- Parent or guardian work schedules8
- Housing instability and homelessness
- Student home responsibilities: work to earn family income; caregiving for younger siblings and the elderly
- Neighborhood violence9
At school this includes –
- Feel physically or emotionally unsafe10
- Don’t feel they belong; lack connections to other students and to one or more adults in the school11
- Poor academic performance
- Don’t see value in attending; don’t believe that school will help them achieve their goals12
Solutions Require Collaborative Approaches
Engage students and families, especially from marginalized communities, in developing solutions to the attendance-related issues that affect their lives.13
Include proactive and preventative approaches.14
Build relationships and trust at school: strengthen bonds with other students, and through intentional connections, with trusted adults at school.15
Provide opportunities for students to participate in activities they find meaningful.16
Partner with community organizations, public agencies, and other groups with resources to help resolve barriers to attendance and build relationships with students and families.
Stay away from punitive approaches; they are not effective. Treat student absenteeism as a problem to be solved, not a behavior to be punished.17
Notes
1SC School Report Cards, Download Data; SC Education Oversight Committee, “2024-25 Accountability Manual for School and District Report Cards.” [Students with Disabilities: students currently receiving special education services and have an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in effect.]
2Return 2 Learn Tracker; Chang, H., Balfanz, R., and Byrnes, V. (2025) “Continued High Levels of Chronic Absence, With Some Improvements, Require Action,” Attendance Works.
3Germain, E., Hernández, L. E., Klevan, S., Levine, R., & Maier, A. (2024). Reducing chronic absenteeism: Lessons from community schools. Learning Policy Institute; Humm Patnode, A., Gibbons, K., & Edmunds, R. R. (2018). Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism: Literature Review. Saint Paul, MN: University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development, Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement.
4Center for Research in Education and Social Policy. (2018) “Chronic Absenteeism and its Impact on Achievement,” University of Delaware; O’Donnell, P. (2025) “Kindergarten’s Overlooked Absenteeism Problem,” The 74.
5Education Week. (2025) “The Widespread Impacts of Chronic Student Absenteeism.”
6Gottfried, M. A. (2019) Chronic Absenteeism in the Classroom Context: Effects on Achievement, Urban Education.
7Humm Patnode.
8O’Donnell; Higgins, L. (2025) “Parents’ inflexible work schedules impact student attendance,” ChalkBeat Detroit.
9Humm Patnode.
10The Education Trust and Attendance Works. (2023) “5 Things for Advocates to Know About Chronic Absenteeism.”
11Stone, M. (2024) “’A Universal Prevention Measure’ That Boosts Attendance and Improves Behavior,” Education Week.
12Humm Patnode.
13The Education Trust and Attendance Works.
14Germain.
15Peetz, C. (2023) “3 Steps to Drive Down Chronic Absenteeism,” Education Week; Stone, M. (2024) “4 Case Studies: Schools Use Connections to Give Every Student a Reason to Attend,” Education Week.
16Stone, M. (2024) “’A Universal Prevention Measure.’”
17The Education Trust and Attendance Works; Attendance Works (2018) “Reducing Chronic Absence Requires Problem Solving and Support, Not Blame and Punishment.”1