LOS ANGELES — County officials will unveil a comprehensive effort to tackle persistent student absenteeism rates that remain elevated from pre-pandemic levels, framing attendance as both an educational and public health priority.
County Superintendent of Schools Debra Duardo and Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer will detail the initiative during a press conference Wednesday at Madison Elementary in Pomona, highlighting how missing school affects students’ emotional well-being, future employment prospects and life expectancy.
Chronic absenteeism nationwide surged from 15% in 2018 to 28% in 2022, and remained high at 26% in 2023, according to the Return to Learn Tracker. Los Angeles Unified’s chronic absenteeism rate reached 45.2% at the end of the 2021-22 school year, with 36% of students chronically absent as of March 2023, EdSource reported.
The county’s approach will address root causes through health, housing and community interventions, officials said. Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of school for any reason, which can translate into difficulty learning to read by Grade 3, reaching grade-level standards in middle school, and graduating from high school, according to PACE research.
“This is not just an educational issue, but a public health issue,” officials said in announcing the Aug. 13 event at the elementary school on West Phillips Boulevard.
The press conference will feature Duardo, who leads the nation’s most populous and diverse regional education agency, and Ferrer, who oversees public health for more than 10 million county residents. They’ll be joined by Pomona Unified Superintendent Darren Knowles and South Whittier School District Superintendent Gary Gonzalez.
Ahead of LAUSD’s scheduled first day of school, Aug. 11, Mayor Karen Bass was scheduled to join LAUSD leadership and local leaders to reaffirm their commitment to keeping schools safe and supportive for all students and families as the new school year begins amid heightened immigration enforcement activity.
The coordinated effort comes as school districts statewide continue battling attendance challenges that intensified during the pandemic. LAUSD attributed a 10 percentage point decrease in chronic absenteeism to iAttend events, where school officials go door to door to encourage students with unexcused absences to return, EdSource reported.
Research shows low-cost informational text messages to families have been shown to reduce absenteeism by 17%, along with home visits and early warning systems for chronic absence, according to the California Department of Education.
The initiative represents a shift toward treating attendance as a community health indicator, with officials planning to detail specific interventions that address barriers keeping students away from classrooms.
