School Attendance Information

Why is Attendance Important?

• Research proves that students who are chronically absent in Kindergarten and 1st grade are far less likely to read proficiently by 3rd grade.
• For every day of school missed, it takes three days to make up what was taught.
• By the 6th grade, if a student continues to be chronically absent, it is a leading indicator of whether he or she will drop out of high school.
• In the 9th grade, chronic absences are a better indicator than test scores of a student’s likelihood to graduate from high school.
• Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up.

What Can Parents Do?

Since attendance is so important to your child’s future academic success, here are some things you as a parent can do to help improve your student’s attendance at school.

• Talk with your child about what happened at school each day. The more interested in school you are, the more they will be!
• Set a bedtime and morning routine so that your child is well-rested and ready for school.
• Lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Don’t let your child stay home unless he/she is truly sick. Keep in mind that complaints of a stomach ache or headache can be a sign of anxiety and not a reason to stay home.
• Develop back-up plans for getting to school if something comes up or your child misses the bus.
• Avoid medical appointments and extended trips when school is in session. 

Attendance Works Information in English

Attendance Works Information in Spanish

Student Attendance Protocol for GCPS  - Includes procedural information and definitions related to school attendance in GCPS.