Teacher Absences Stay High In Burr Ridge District

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge School District 180's teacher absenteeism rate remained the highest of the three local elementary districts last school year, according to the Illinois Report Card website.

The state measures the percentage of teachers who are absent for at least 10 days. Patch reviewed the rates in 14 area districts.

Locally, Burr Ridge District 180 reported the highest absenteeism rate last school year, with 34 percent who missed at least 10 days. That is similar to its rates in recent years and equal to the statewide average.

The rates in Gower District 62 and Pleasantdale District 107 were 18 percent and 12 percent, respectively.

District 180's interim superintendent, Thomas Schneider, did not return messages for comment. He took the job over the summer; before he retired in 2023, he was the district's superintendent for 17 years.

Last school year, Hinsdale High School District 86 saw a rate of 42 percent of teachers who were absent at least 10 days. That's up from 24 percent from 2023-24, but down from nearly 50 percent the two years before that.

At Lyons Township High School, the rate was 30 percent last school year, up from 27 percent.

Under state law, the rate excludes absences for professional development, leave under the Family Medical Leave Act, long-term disability or parental leave.

The U.S. Department of Education sees teacher attendance as a leading indicator of student achievement. Teachers with regular attendance provide continuity of instruction and attention to individual students, according to the Illinois Report Card.

"The National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that when teachers are absent for 10 days or more, student outcomes decrease significantly," the report card said. "Teacher absence results in loss of instruction time for students, as well as financial concerns to the district when substitutes must be employed."

Source: Illinois Report Card, 2024-2025