Celebrating a Reduction in Chronic Absenteeism Across Our Schools

RSD17 is proud to announce significant strides in reducing chronic absenteeism across several schools. Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year (approximately 18 days), can have long-term detrimental effects on a child's academic progress, social-emotional well-being, and future success. 

In the 2021-2022 school year, chronic absenteeism rates were notably higher, with one school seeing a rate of 15%. However, in just one year, that figure dropped to 6.2%. Another school had an even more dramatic decrease, moving from 6.75% in June 2023 to a remarkable 2.3% in the 2023-2024 school year. These figures are impressive, as the state's goal is to bring absenteeism down to 5% or less.

Brienne Whidden, Burr Elementary School Principal, explained that the pandemic changed how many families approached school attendance.

"Post-pandemic, people were more cautious about sending kids to school when they had even a slight cold,” Whidden shared. “What we started doing was contextualizing missing school—explaining that 103 hours missed is the equivalent of 18 days. While we can make up activities, we can't make up the instruction."

One of the district’s key strategies was increasing communication with families. 

"We looked more closely at individual data. With each report card, any student in danger of chronic absenteeism would receive an individualized letter to their family. We also shared statistics around high school dropout rates and emphasized how chronic absenteeism compounds over time," Whidden said.

Dennis Reed, Killingworth Elementary School Principal, emphasized that the work required a team effort. 

"Our first step was to assemble a student attendance team, which included a psychologist, school nurse, and principal. We met throughout the year, studied trends, and drilled down to the individual student level to explore why they were absent."

Both leaders noted that their success was largely due to proactive and ongoing communication with families. 

"We made sure to define chronic absenteeism clearly and we constantly updated our community on how we were doing," Reed noted.

At the high school level, Principal Donna Hayward shared equally remarkable results. “For the 2022-2023 school year, we had a chronic absenteeism rate of 22.2%. For 2023-2024, that number dropped significantly to 6.24%.” 

In addition to enhanced communication efforts, the high school partnered with Haddam Killingworth Youth and Family Services (HKYFS) to refer students to the Juvenile Review Board when they became truant. 

"HKYFS was a great resource for supporting families to improve attendance," Hayward explained.

The district also received a grant to partner with Connecticut Behavioral Health, allowing the high school to hire an additional clinician. 

"As mental health issues have increased across the country, our counseling staff is stretched to the max. This additional counselor provided targeted support to students struggling with attendance," Hayward said.

Unique to the high school, freshmen were given attendance information at orientation, and grade-level assemblies reviewed excused absences and the consequences of truancy. 

"It’s safe to say that, over my career, I have not seen a student fail who shows up and engages with their teachers and support systems. That’s significant—and when students and parents understand this direct correlation, our kids come to school and everybody wins,” Hayward noted.

While the district has made great progress, all school leaders agree that the work is ongoing. 

"Every year is a new year. We’re starting from ground zero again and can’t let up," Reed stated.