Are students showing up for class?
Below are two metrics for
your school: Average daily attendance is the core metric used by
Texas to determine how much money the state gives schools. If a
student misses school, their district's attendance average drops,
and so does the amount of money received. Chronically absent
students — those who missed at least 10% of school days — are more
likely to drop out, education advocates say.
Why this matters
Most U.S. states
use enrollment to determine state funding for school districts.
Texas, with 5.5 million public school students, is one of only six
states to fund schools based on average daily attendance. In a
post-COVID world where parents feel more inclined to keep sick
children home, some districts' finances have grown more
unpredictable. Declining birth rates and increasing schooling
options (charter schools and private school vouchers) may also
contribute to those challenges.
Statewide data shows
chronic absenteeism disproportionately affects economically
disadvantaged students and children in special education
programs.
In a post-COVID world where parents feel more inclined to keep
sick children home, some districts' finances have grown more
unpredictable. Declining birth rates and increasing schooling
options (charter schools and private school vouchers) may also
contribute to those challenges. Texas has about 5.5 million public
school students, but 19% were chronically absent (missed at least
10% of days in the school year) in 2023-24, meaning schools missed
out on funding.
