More than half of public high school students in the nation’s capital were chronically absent in 2023-24, a new report shows.
In an annual analysis of government data released Wednesday, the D.C. Policy Center found that 56% of teens missed at least 10% of the academic year. That’s down only slightly from 60% in 2022-23, the first full year of in-person learning after D.C. Public Schools ended pandemic virtual learning arrangements.
Overall, the nonpartisan center’s analysis of government data found that 40% of all K-12 students were chronically absent from schools. That’s down from a high of 48% in 2022-23, but still 11 percentage points higher than the last pre-pandemic rate of 29% in 2018-19.
“Chronic absenteeism is not just a reflection of student behavior — it is a signal that a student is not being adequately supported,” analysts Chelsea Coffin and Hannah Mason wrote in the report.
The report noted that absenteeism was highest among low-income teens.
A spokeswoman for Deputy Mayor for Education Paul Kihn said in a statement to The Washington Times that the report “paints an inaccurate picture” to compare pre-pandemic absenteeism to current rates since absences spiked nationwide after students returned from pandemic virtual learning.
“Increased screen use during the pandemic certainly impacted student habits and learning, but bigger factors driving absenteeism today include changing attitudes toward school based on pandemic experiences, mental health challenges, and economic pressures, among others,” said Pamela Goldsmith, the deputy mayor’s communications director.
She pointed to increased funding for tutoring, mental health outreach and career preparation programs as keys to achieving the District’s goal of cutting pandemic-era chronic absenteeism to 24% of students by the end of the 2026-27 school year.
“We want to, at minimum, return to pre-pandemic attendance levels and match rates of our urban school system peers,” Ms. Goldsmith said.
D.C. Public Schools campuses have struggled in recent years with subpar test scores, migrant-driven enrollment surges, and larger graduating classes. The system enrolled 51,293 students in 2023-24.
In a March report, the D.C. Policy Center found that 34% of DCPS students in 2023-24 met or exceeded English language arts expectations. That was up less than 1% from the previous year but still 3% lower than pre-pandemic levels.
Students participating in D.C. Policy Center focus groups have expressed persistent concerns about feeling unsafe on their campuses, despite city officials spending millions of dollars on campus security guards each year.
City officials report that more students have felt disconnected from school, lacked reliable transportation, struggled with health issues and stayed home to help their families since the pandemic.
In one bright spot, the report published Wednesday noted that the share of students enrolling in college within six months of graduation has rebounded to pre-pandemic levels.
At the same time, it pointed out that just 3 in 10 chronically absent DCPS graduates went on to higher education after the 2023-24 academic year, compared with 7 in 10 students who missed less than 5% of classes.
“National research has shown that students who miss more school are significantly less likely to graduate, enroll in college, or be prepared for postsecondary success,” Ms. Coffin and Ms. Mason wrote in the report.
