The Mississippi Department of Education is looking to combat chronic absenteeism, especially as “Attendance Awareness Month” approaches in September. Department officials are urging schools, districts, and local organizations to promote the benefits of students maintaining regular school attendance this year.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10%, or 18 days, of the school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. Students who miss two days of school each month of an academic calendar are considered chronically absent. Research shows that students who are absent 2-4 days in September alone go on to miss nearly a month of school.
During the 2023-24 school year, the state’s chronic absenteeism rate was 24.4%, a slight increase compared to 23.9% in the prior academic year. Chronically absent students have an increased chance of dropping out of school and a higher likelihood of being incarcerated compared to pupils who are consistently in the classroom. Hosemann said the Senate will strive for stricter truancy laws this year.
To fight against students missing large chunks of class time, the Department of Education is promoting its online Attendance Awareness Toolkit, which includes resources from the agency’s “Every School Day Counts – Attend to Achieve” campaign.
“We all have a role in combating chronic absenteeism in schools and preventing students from dropping out,” Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education, said. “MDE offers professional training and resources to districts, but we ask that local communities and service organizations join in as well. Regular attendance is essential for a student’s success in school.”
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann is supporting the state’s attendance awareness efforts. His office has created resource materials available to the public that have been added to the online toolkit. During his stump speech at the 2025 Neshoba County Fair, Hosemann also floated out the prospect of promoting legislation requiring parents to testify before a judge as to the reason for their child’s noticeable absence from class.
“Students’ attendance is a key indicator for success not only in the classroom but in life,” Hosemann said. “It is imperative for the long-term success of our children and our state that our communities focus on keeping our students in the classroom.”
The state began reporting chronic absence data in 2016. The lowest rate of 13% was in 2018-19. The COVID-19 pandemic is believed to be the major factor that led to higher state and national rates in 2021-22, when Mississippi’s rate was 28%. The state is expected to release its 2024-25 report in the near future.
Attendance officers within the Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and Dropout Prevention work to connect with families and help them eliminate barriers to classroom presence. The office collaborated with the North Mississippi Education Consortium earlier this year to offer Attendance Improvement Institutes for school districts from Feb. 24 – May 16 across the state.
The professional development event helped school teams create research-based and effective attendance improvement strategies to increase attendance rates.
A Statewide Chronic Absenteeism and Dropout Prevention Conference will be hosted from Sept. 8–9, at the Hilton on County Line Rd. in Jackson. The conference will offer expert-led presentations and breakout sessions focused on innovative strategies to boost student engagement and reduce dropout rates. Additionally, it will provide a platform for sharing best practices and deepening understanding of how to effectively address chronic absenteeism.
