Newark Schools Are Making Progress On 'Chronic Absenteeism,' District Says

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s public schools are making headway on “chronic absenteeism,” administrators say.

In recent years, chronic absenteeism – when students miss 10 percent or more of school days in the 180-day academic year – has become a concern in Newark. The pandemic further exacerbated the issue.

Chronically absent students tend to have more reading difficulties, lower academic achievement and higher dropout rates, experts say.

The good news? Overall attendance on the rise and chronic absenteeism in decline three years in a row across all grade levels, according to the Newark Board of Education.

The average attendance rate for pre-K through 12th grade was 95.1 percent, an increase from 94.8 percent in the previous school year, administrators reported.

Rochanda Jackson, executive director of the Office of Policy, Planning, Evaluation & Testing, presented additional data about attendance in the district at Thursday night’s school board meeting. The numbers included:

• Elementary school students (pre-K to 8) – Attendance rose to 95.5%, up from 95% in 2023–2024
• High school students – Attendance improved to 94.4%, compared to 93.3% the prior year
• Students in specialized schools – Attendance reached 94.6%, up from 94.2% last year

At the same time, the district's overall chronic absenteeism rate fell again from 12.1 percent to 10.4 percent, Jackson said:

• Among elementary school students, chronic absenteeism dropped to 8.8%
• Among high school students, the rate declined to 14.1%
• Among students in specialized schools, the rate was 14.4%

“These results reflect the hard work of our families, staff, and community partners to keep students engaged, supported, and present,” Superintendent Roger León said.

“In particular, I want to acknowledge the Office of Attendance, the Truancy Task Force, attendance counselors and court representatives,” León said.

“These encouraging numbers show that our students and families are responding to the district’s efforts to build a culture of daily attendance,” school board president Hasani Council said.

The Newark Public School District is the largest in New Jersey. The district currently enrolls more than 41,000 students in 65 schools.

• See Related: Pop-Up Enrollment Center Will Be Touring Newark As School Year Nears

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