Absenteeism Still Problem at Lyons Township High: Official

LA GRANGE, IL – Like many of its counterparts, Lyons Township High School is still struggling with student absenteeism.

It plans to take several actions next school year to combat the problem.

According to state data, 23 percent of the high school's students were chronically absent in the 2023-24 school year. Those are students who miss at least 10 percent of school days in a year, with or without valid excuses.

Statewide, the rate was only slightly higher at 26 percent.

The high school's closeness to the state average may be considered surprising, given that it's one of only a few high schools that recently received the state's "exemplary" designation.

Other schools with similarly wealthy student bodies are also suffering high chronic absenteeism rates – Elmhurst's York High School at 22 percent, Hinsdale South at 23 percent and Riverside-Brookfield at 20 percent.

"We have not been immune from the nationwide trends in absenteeism," Leslie Owens, Lyons Township's student services director, told the school board this week. "Those trends started prior to the pandemic and really were exacerbated."

A committee of parents, teachers and officials examined the issue and came up with a plan.

The school says it will start requiring students to attend at least six class periods a day to take part in after-school sports and activities. That is up from four now.

"Certainly, we know there are extenuating circumstances," Owens said. "We will deal with those on an individual basis."

Among other things, the school says it will use an attendance reporting form through an online portal for students and parents known as Infinite Campus.

Attendance has worsened because of factors such as mental health concerns, increased caretaker responsibilities and shifts to a work-from-home culture inside and outside of schools, Owens said.

"Attendance is a complicated issue," she said. "You look into it, and there are all sorts of social issues."

Here are the percentages of students who are chronically absent over the years at Lyons Township High School:

Source: Illinois Report Card