Data from the past two years shows that chronic absenteeism numbers are dropping in USD 379.

According to the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE), being chronically absent means a student is missing 10 percent or more of school, for both excused and unexcused reasons. For example, in a typical 180-day school year, this means missing 18 or more days, or about two days per month.

In 2023-24, the Kansas state average of students who were chronically absent was 19.77 percent. In USD 379, that percentage was at 11.48 percent, a more than 8 percent difference.

In 2022-23, the state average was at 21.82 percent, and USD 379 was at 12.80 percent, a difference of 9 percent.

The data wasn’t always good. In 2021-22, USD 379 had a chronically absent rate of almost 20 percent. It was then that district leaders developed a team of counselors and administrators to tackle the issue. They worked with parents and students and developed plans to address the issue on a 1:1 basis. This helped drop the percentage by almost 7 percent in just one year.

This same team still meets monthly to discuss up-to-date attendance data and what can be done to help students and families on an individual basis with chronic absenteeism.

Clay County USD 379

Chronically Absent Data Improving in USD 379