Research from Governor Brian Kemp’s office of Student Achievement shows that school systems are still grappling with high student absence levels that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.
State legislators seeking to lower chronic absenteeism in public schools met Monday afternoon to hear from experts. Senator John F. Kennedy, a Republican from Georgia’s 18th District, chairs the committee on student attendance.
“Chronic absenteeism is being defined as students in the public school system missing 10% or more of their school days that are needed for the school year,” he said.
MJ Kim, a lead researcher in Governor Brian Kemp’s Office of Student Achievement, said that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to an increase in the number of chronically absent students.
“Before the pandemic, chronic absenteeism here was remarkably steady: 13.1% in 2018 and 13.0% in 2019,” Dr. Kim said. “But then came 2022, and the numbers tell a different story. Chronic absenteeism nearly doubled, jumping to 24.4%.”
Her research shows that rates of absenteeism remain above 20%. Kim also said that as the percentage of chronically absent students increase, student show lower rates of proficiency in both and English Language Arts.
