What to Know about Chronic Absenteeism
Overview
Published: September 2025
Chronic absenteeism has emerged as a critical issue in US public schools, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Deemed the “Long-COVID” for public schools, absenteeism appears to be an unintended consequence of the pandemic and a stubborn issue to remedy (Malkus, 2024). To highlight this issue, we provide a concise overview of national trends in chronic absenteeism, identify schools most affected, and explore the academic consequences of sustained absenteeism.
We found chronic absenteeism rates have increased post-pandemic and remain high, with a majority of schools experiencing high or extreme rates of absenteeism. Absenteeism is higher in lower-income schools and is particularly high for schools serving students of color in urban settings. Schools with higher rates of absenteeism show lower test scores over time.
These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions to address educational disparities and support student engagement.
- Subject:Literacy, Mathematics
- Demographic:Black, Economically Disadvantaged, Latino, White
- Grades:K–8
- Study Year:2021–2023
Meet the Experts behind the Program
Kelsey Young
Kelsey Young, Ph.D., leads the Research Insights and Analytics team at Curriculum Associates, evaluating national trends in student achievement. Previously, Young served as a consultant for the Colorado Department of Education and as a researcher at two other edtech companies. Young graduated with a B.S. in Child Psychology and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, both from the University of Minnesota. While there, Young's research focused on identifying and supporting students with disabilities.
Ethan Young
Ethan Young, Ph.D., is a research scientist at Curriculum Associates. He specializes in analyzing longitudinal data to uncover national trends in student learning. He received his Ph.D. in Developmental and Cognitive Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Before Curriculum Associates, Young was a postdoctoral researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, examining how people develop cognitive skills in the face of childhood adversity.
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