In the immediate aftermath of the coronavirus 2019 pandemic–related disruptions to kindergarten through grade 12 (K–12) in-person schooling, K–12 absenteeism rates spiked nationally in U.S. public schools. High levels of chronic absenteeism—defined as missing at least 10 percent of school days in a given school year—matter because research has linked chronic absenteeism with poorer academic outcomes. Although absenteeism rates have declined somewhat since reaching a peak in the 2021–2022 school year, recovery appears to be stalling, with national rates still above pre-pandemic levels.
In this report, the authors investigate why secondary school–age students are missing school and to what extent these reasons differ by age. They use data from two surveys administered to nationally representative samples of students and parents in late 2025 via the RAND American Youth Panel and RAND American Parents Panel, respectively. The surveys focused largely on attitudes that are anticipated to be related to absenteeism, such as believing that not being chronically absent is important. This report is intended for school system leaders who are seeking to better understand the reasons for the absenteeism patterns that they are observing in their schools as they target interventions to get more kids back in classrooms.
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