California education officials are pledging to reduce chronic absenteeism by 50% over the next five years, unveiling new statewide guidance Aug. 26 to keep more students in class.
The plan, announced by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond on Aug. 19, focuses on early intervention, family engagement, and ensuring students feel safe on campus amid heightened immigration enforcement. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, surged to nearly 30% during the pandemic and, while improving, remains well above pre-pandemic levels.
“Sometimes families don’t attend school because of major challenges — transportation, poverty, health issues,” Thurmond said at a press conference in Rancho Cordova. “We do a lot to educate families about the importance of their children being in school every day they’re healthy and well enough to be there.”
State data shows 20.4% of students, about 1.2 million, were chronically absent in the 2023-24 school year, down from 24.9% in 2022-23 but far higher than the 12% rate in 2018-19.
Because school funding is based on attendance, California districts lose an estimated $3.6 billion annually when students miss class. But the greater risk is academic: research shows chronically absent students, especially in early grades, struggle to learn to read by third grade.
The new guidance, developed with Attendance Works and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence, provides districts with strategies to track attendance, connect families to support services, and make schools safer.
Legislators are also advancing bills to address immigration-related fears that have led to student absences. Senate Bill 98 would require schools to alert families when immigration officers are present, while Assembly Bill 49 would limit their access to campuses without a warrant.
“When we lose attendance because of suppression fears, we lose revenue — as much as $150 million,” Thurmond said. “But more importantly, students lose learning opportunities.”
Education officials said the new guidance and legislative measures aim to build on recent improvements, helping California schools keep students in class, support learning, and secure funding while addressing the challenges that continue to drive absenteeism.