Morning Scoop: Alarming chronic absence rates in Arizona schools require bold action
Education leaders discuss ongoing struggle to get students to attend school
New data on persistent, alarming rates of chronic absence in Arizona public schools — and its cumulative, negative impacts on students — demands immediate, bold action, according to a panel of education experts who participated in a recent Morning Scoop conversation, “Arizona Students Still Missing Too Much School.”
“The data is a clarion call for us to prioritize getting kids back into the classroom every day, learning every day,” said Rep. Matt Gress, a former teacher and chair of the Arizona House Education Committee.
Gress was one of the panelists at the Arizona Capitol Times’ webinar focused on the findings of Still Missing Too Much School, a new report from Helios Education Foundation and WestEd. He was joined by Paul J. Luna, Helios’ President and CEO, Dr. Paul Perrault, Helios’ Senior Vice President of Community Impact and Learning, Lori Masseur, Director of Early Learning at Read On Arizona, Erika Mancilla, Principal at William R. Sullivan Elementary in Phoenix, and moderator Steve Goldstein.
What is chronic absence?
The forum unpacked research on chronic absence, defined by the state as missing 10% or more of the school year, among first- through eighth-graders during the 2022-23 school year. Discussions explored the root causes of the issue, its disproportionate impact on certain student populations, and actionable strategies to reverse the trend.
A follow-up to Helios’ similar study released in 2022, the report offered this key finding: nearly one-third of elementary and junior high students in Arizona were chronically absent. Mobile students — those changing schools mid-year — miss even more.
“Chronic absence rates in Arizona remain more than twice as high as they were prior to the pandemic, and though there have been some improvements, there’s still a lot of work to do,” Luna shared. “How do we continue to make this challenge a priority? And how do we do that together?”
Four takeaways: The impact of chronic absence in Arizona
- Chronic absenteeism is alarmingly high in Arizona. The state is ranked 15th in the U.S. for highest chronic absenteeism, according to FuturEd. Despite small improvements since the pandemic, Still Missing Too Much School shows nearly one in three Arizona public school students in grades 1-8 were chronically absent. Compared to the 2018-2019 school year, chronic absence rates doubled across nearly every grade level and for all groups of students in 2022-23.
- Chronic absence can severely disrupt student success. Children who often miss school tend to have lower proficiency scores in areas like math and English. Being away from class is associated with poor learning outcomes, patterns of subsequent absences in later grades, and higher school-dropout rates.
- Certain student groups continue to experience disproportionately high rates of chronic absence. This includes Native American, Latino, and economically disadvantaged students. However, the gap between vulnerable student groups and their peers did not continue to widen post-pandemic.
- Students who change schools mid-year—referred to as mobile students—experience some of the highest chronic absence rates. In 2022-23, the rate among mobile 8th graders reached a staggering 55%. However, the state’s current chronic absence definition does not fully account for student mobility, complicating efforts to identify these students and provide targeted support.
Why daily school attendance matters
Being in school matters for a myriad of reasons, starting with students’ exposure to educational opportunities and tools needed for success.
“When they’re absent, they start to lose that motivation because now they know they’re behind their peers,” Mancilla added. “Bringing that motivation back up [takes] a lot of hard work.”
At school, children also gain confidence and social skills, some receive free nutritious meals, and families gain a caring community.
“We have worked really hard to establish trust with our families, and they have started to speak up and ask for help,” said Mancilla, noting some said they have no way to get their children to school.
So, she and a William R. Sullivan Elementary School resource officer began providing rides to any child needing them and used that as a teaching moment.
“I would say, ‘It’s time for you to start getting ready, and you know you have to get on the bus on your own,’” she said. “It’s building that responsibility, that routine, ‘Set your alarm, and tomorrow I’m expecting you to get on the bus.’”
Chronic absence in grade school exacerbates issues later in school and life, Perrault noted. 
“We see an increase in disengagement if a child doesn’t do well on a subject,” he said. “Ultimately, that leads many students to either, one, drop out, or just not finish school, or two, not be prepared for the workforce or college.”
Teachers also are disadvantaged when students miss school, Perrault added.
“Think about teachers having students in and out all of the time, having to give makeup assignments, having them not be on the same page on the class lesson,” he said.
What is needed to reduce chronic absence
The Still Missing Too Much School report not only raises awareness of chronic absence, but the data can help identify groups of absent students, learn the root causes of their absences, strategize effective interventions, and support school districts with proactive solutions.
“There are a multitude of reasons why students are missing school, and it’s often complex,” said Masseur, including fear of bullying, lack of transportation, and disinterest. “The reason a student might be absent in the Murphy district is going to look different from Window Rock or Tucson.”
Masseur’s group, Read On Arizona, convened the Chronic Absence Task Force to understand the root cause of chronic absence and develop priorities and recommendations to get students back to school and back on track. The Task Force also published a resource guide for school administrators, districts, charter networks and community partners.
At Murphy Elementary School District in southwest Phoenix, where Mancilla is principal, efforts are underway to reduce chronic absence by 5% annually. The school’s approach is focused on personal connections.
"Education is a top priority, and I preach that to my students every day,” said Mancilla, who greets her more than 550 students by name every morning.
“I tell them I’m happy to see them and glad they showed up,” she said. “At the end of the day, I say goodbye to them and that, ‘I’m expecting to see you here tomorrow.’”
The panel agreed that an all-hands-on-deck, multifaceted approach is necessary to boost student attendance.
“There’s no one silver bullet that addresses this across the state, so that’s the importance of the community together,” Perrault said. “And leaning into that idea that we can do a better job of helping students and parents understand why school and academic success are important.”
Watch the full Morning Scoop webinar: