The American Enterprise Institution reported that in 2019, about 15% of students in Ohio were considered chronically absent. In 2020, that percentage shot up to 24%. Today, 5 years after the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate is still 25% in Ohio. This means that 1 in 4 students are missing 10% of school, or more. The pandemic has brought on a slew of problems for many families, which has created many reasons students may become chronically absent. While there have been attempts to restore the attendance rates back to where they were pre-pandemic, we haven’t found a solution that can make amends for COVID’s consequences.
Most of the time, a child’s attendance rate is directly linked to their mental health. Tanisha Pruitt from the non-profit research organization, Policy Matters Ohio, wrote, “Kids are absent for a variety of social, emotional, and physical reasons. Mental health factors such as depression, anxiety, and chronic stress reduce kids’ desire to attend school. Trauma and violence exacerbate those issues, increasing the likelihood that a student will become chronically absent” (Pruitt). These causes make the absentee rates difficult to fix. Even changing conditions in school may not help much when these factors can come from outside of school too. The environment of a school is stressful for most kids; even if changes are made to lessen that stress, it is a place that students see as an addition to their struggles. Components like how a student is treated by peers and staff can play a major role in a student’s enthusiasm for school. In Chronic absenteeism: What you need to know, Kate Kelly writes, “ If kids feel like they’re not wanted at school, if they’re constantly failing, or if they’re fearful of their peers, they may try to get out of going to school” (Kelly). For these adolescents, a place where they know they will feel marginalized from either bullying or discipline, is not what they are searching for. When school is missed and a lack of understanding of material being taught brings more stress, it can act as a catalyst for missing more days.
The amount of time a student spends in school can directly affect their abilities and likelihood to graduate. The U.S. Department of Education reported, “Research suggests that children who are chronically absent for multiple years between preschool and second grade are much less likely to read at grade level by the third grade. This has been shown elsewhere to make students four times more likely to not graduate from high school” (U.S Department of Education). Students who miss a lot of school clearly are put at a disadvantage compared to their peers who are there more often. Research shows that these attendance rates unequally affect students. Attendance Works, an organization dedicated to reducing chronic absentee rates, states, “Children living in poverty are two to three times more likely to be chronically absent—and face the most harm because their community lacks the resources to make up for the lost learning in school. Students from communities of color as well as those with disabilities are disproportionately affected” (Attendance Works). The rate of chronic absenteeism since 2020 is still affecting children around the world today, yet nobody seems to know how to fix it.
The pandemic in 2020 and the year following has left an imprint on millions. Since the height of the pandemic, many schools have seen a rise in attendance. In a collection of attendance data from Attendance Works, it states, “In just two years, Ohio has made meaningful progress. Statewide chronic absence dropped from 30.2% (2021-22 school year) to 25.6% (2023-24). That means over 100,000 more students are regularly attending school compared to the height of the pandemic’s disruption” (Attendance Works). Undoubtedly, progress has been made, but it’s still not near where it was pre-pandemic. One way that has proven effective in lowering absentee rates is texting the guardians of these students to get them more involved in their education. The Institution of Education Sciences discussed this method, saying, “The text messages can include many different messages, discussed below, but generally the approach is to let families know how many total days students have missed. Additionally, the texts often have a message about how important school attendance is and where families can turn to for support if there is an issue that the school should be aware of, such as chronic health challenges or transportation issues” (IES). Getting families involved in a student’s school life can let the school come up with solutions to accommodate for that child. With solutions like getting in contact with family members, about 5% of kids that were previously missing large portions of their schooling, are now regularly attending school.
So how does Dover High School measure up on attendance? Mr. Miller, the Dean of students at Dover High School stated, “For the 2020-21 school year, Dover High School’s chronic absenteeism rate was 21%, and for last year (2024-25), it was 22.8%. Although Dover High School has a lower rate of chronic absenteeism than the state average, there is still work to be done as we continue to explore creative ways to reduce absenteeism.” Dover, compared to some schools in Ohio, has a more generally positive and supportive school culture, which has contributed to lower absenteeism rates. Still, figuring out how to bring back the norm that attendance isn’t optional, but something all students should see as important has proven difficult.
Rebuilding schools as a safe place for students is undoubtedly one of the top priorities of today. The effects the pandemic and school brings to a child’s mental well being could be key to reverting the chronic absenteeism rates back to where it was before 2020. With more work on this issue, eventually schools may have a regular attendance from a higher majority of students. The state of Ohio is determined to have cut the rate of absenteeism in half by 2030. Hopefully, with their focus on supporting scholars and their families, these plans can come to fruition.
