The No-Show Generation: Bay Area's Post-COVID Attendance Crisis
As schools reopen and students return to classrooms, a critical question for this academic year is: How many students will actually show up? Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of chronically absent children in Bay Area schools has doubled, with no signs of returning to pre-pandemic levels.
According to the latest data, approximately one in four Bay Area students is chronically absent from school.
These chronically absent students are missing over 33 days of school per year, on average.
The problem is particularly acute for low-income students, who account for 66% of all students who regularly miss school. Over 33% of low-income students are absent on a regular basis, an increase of nearly 90% from the pre-COVID level in 2019.
While chronic absenteeism is a widespread issue, there are over 200 schools in the Bay Area where more than 50% of students are regularly missing school, putting these institutions and teachers in an extremely challenging position.
There are ample opportunities for change and improvement in this area, both in terms of educational standards and processes, as well as community support for schools, students, and parents in need.
