Arizona High School Absenteeism Rates Remain High Post-Pandemic

Arizona’s high school students continue to grapple with chronic absenteeism, an issue exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic and yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. The Helios Education Foundation’s recent study highlights this ongoing challenge, revealing that absence rates have not yet fully recovered.

Chronic absenteeism is characterized by students missing 10% or more of the academic year, equating to roughly 18 days in Arizona. While Helios has historically monitored absence rates among K-8 students, this marks their inaugural analysis of high school attendance patterns. Paul Perrault, Helios Senior Vice President of Community Impact and Learning, notes a concerning trend of increased absenteeism from third grade through 12th grade.

“We see 10th graders missing more than ninth, 11th graders missing more than 10th and that’s just really problematic as we think about students getting ready for a career and workforce opportunities,” Perrault stated.

The data from the 2023-24 academic year indicates a decrease from the pandemic peak in absence rates, yet they remain approximately 10 percentage points above pre-pandemic figures. Particularly affected are low-income and minority students, who show higher absenteeism rates than their peers.

Chandler High School has been proactive in addressing this issue. Principal Greg Milbrandt emphasized efforts to cultivate meaningful relationships between teachers and students to ensure students feel supported. “We also have security checking on kids and making sure that we don’t have students wandering the campus when they should be in class [and] checking in with students they haven’t seen in a few days,” Milbrandt explained.

The school has also adopted other measures, such as routine calls to families when students miss classes and removing logistical obstacles like split-lunch schedules. These efforts resulted in a notable five percentage point reduction in chronic absenteeism within a year.

Students with frequent absences often exhibit lower performance in math and reading, which can further disengage them from school activities. In response, Helios has collaborated with Valley of the Sun United Way to equip educators across Maricopa County with strategies to improve attendance.