chronic absenteeism

Schools across the country saw students chronically absent post-pandemic, with New Mexico one of the hardest hit. However, the state Public Education Department recently reported a significant decrease in students missing school last year.

Wednesday morning the White House hosted the ‘Every Day Counts Summit’ that heard from schools districts throughout the country about different strategies to address the growing problem of chronic absenteeism. Albuquerque Public Schools participated in the summit and shared their strategy for addressing chronic absenteeism.

The Attendance for Success Act signed in 2019 required schools to track and report to the state as well as work on implementing supportive interventions. This week, the Legislative Education Study Committee reported that while the law is strong on paper, there are concerns about schools' capacity to implement those interventions.

New Mexico schools have been hit hard by chronic absenteeism with about 39% of our students missing 10% or more of school days. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss resources available to address chronic absenteeism and the gaps still needing to be filled.