Chronic absenteeism has declined in Connecticut, according to data released by the state Department of Education.
DOE put the number of chronically absent students in Connecticut at to 9.6 percent in 2015-16, down from 10.6 percent the year before and down from a high of 11.5 percent in 2012-13. The decline in the absenteeism rate means that more than 10,000 more students are attending school on a daily basis than four years ago, said Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of days of school for any reason. Risk factors for chronic absence include poverty, homelessness, chronic health conditions, frequent moves, and disabilities.
“We want every public school student in our state to be in school and engaged,” said Wentzell. “That means we have to work with families, educators, and community stakeholders
to decrease the number of days that students are out of school.”
Concrete steps taken to address chronic absences include working with key partners such as the Governor’s Prevention Partnership, Attendance Works, the Campaign for Grade-Level
Reading, and the Legislature’s Committee on Children, Wentzell said.
