Positive school climate factors such as safety, good relationships with peers and teachers, and parent engagement strongly relate to better school attendance, according to a new study by the University of Chicago.
The study, which examined records from Chicago Public Schools students in grades 6-11, also found middle and high school students with fewer absences showed higher test scores and GPAs.
The study found that the school that students attended influenced their attendance much more than the neighborhood where they lived. Students’ perceptions of feeling safe at school and safe from bullying and teasing correlated with higher rates of attendance.
Chicago Public Schools, like many districts nationally, saw chronic absenteeism rates spike when the pandemic threw most schools into virtual or hybrid learning modes for the rest of the 2019-20 school year and into the following school year.
Students are considered chronically absent if they miss more than 10% of the school year, or about 18 days, for any reason. Before the pandemic, in 2017-2019, chronic absenteeism in the district’s middle school grades was around 10%. In 2022, that rate jumped to 33%.
In CPS high schools, 27% to 37% of students were chronically absent in 2017. Five years later, the share increased to 49% to 57%.
Most recently, schools and districts have emphasized attendance through accountability practices and data-driven decision-making, and also by boosting school climates and student and parent engagement.
Clear communication about the importance of being at school, a welcoming environment promoted by all school staff, rigorous and engaging classroom environments, and specialized supports for students facing particularly difficult barriers were among the different approaches for bolstering student attendance, according to the study.
“Improving school climate takes time and sustained effort; it’s about real, felt changes in the school, not just higher numbers on survey reports,” the study said.
K-12 Dive
