Chronic absenteeism rates are gradually improving in some area school districts, according to data from the Mississippi Department of Education, though it still remains a challenge in the Golden Triangle.
Students who miss at least 10% of a school year – or 18 days – are marked as chronically absent. The overall chronic absenteeism rate for Mississippi was 24.4% for the 2023-2024 school year, slightly higher than 23.9% in 2022-2023.
Columbus Municipal School District had the highest rate of chronically absent students among local districts for the 2023-2024 at 28.4%, though it also saw the greatest improvement, decreasing from 30.1% the year prior.
Starkville-Oktibbeha Consolidated School District had a 1.67% increase in chronic absenteeism, from 24.1% in 2022-2023 to 25.77% in 2023-2024.
Lowndes County School District also saw an increase, though it was much smaller. The chronic absenteeism rate rose from 20.3% in 2022-2023 to 20.6% in 2023-2024.
SOCSD
Communications Director Haley Montgomery said the causes of chronic absenteeism can be difficult to nail down. Poverty levels, other responsibilities and a lack of motivation can all impact a student’s attendance, she said.
Montgomery said SOCSD is addressing chronic absenteeism by providing additional education to parents about its impact, along with expanding academic experiences and extracurricular activities to pique students’ interests.
For students who don’t thrive in a traditional school setting, the district is stepping outside the box, Montgomery said. A partnership with Grade Results, an online educational company that does web-based instructional, gives students a nontraditional route to earn a diploma.
On Thursday, 20 students graduated from the program, she said.
“It gives us an opportunity to set them on a path for success even if they have not responded well to the traditional classroom environment,” Montgomery said. “They are also able to see themselves put in the work and actually achieve their goal, which can go a long way in helping them to take the next steps after high school.”
The district is also looking for solutions outside the schools, working directly with partners in youth court to identify patterns of needs among families that may impact attendance, Montgomery said.
“This has led us to begin more conversations to engage other aspects of the community, like our churches, to get their input,” she said. “We really believe working together as a community is the best way forward because school absenteeism can trickle into other social issues that negatively impact our community as a whole.”
Montgomery said district administration met with community leaders Thursday to discuss how to better support students who are chronically absent. There are plans to hold another meeting with community members and parents in January with the same goal.
CMSD
Superintendent Stanley Ellis said some of the specific causes of chronic absenteeism he sees in Columbus range from personal hardships and gaps in community resources to a lack of access to specialized support.
Students at Columbus High School are more likely to be chronically absent than younger students, Ellis said, because they’re often balancing school with other responsibilities.
“In a lot of instances with the high school students, you’ve got some that are actually taking care of families,” Ellis said Monday during a CMSD Board of Trustees meeting. “So you’re battling against work and school and a whole lot of different factors.”
Ellis credited the slight decrease in the district’s chronic absenteeism rate to strengthened family outreach and improved transportation.
But the district has also seen some success in motivating students to come to school by providing incentives.
“Current incentives include rewards for attendance milestones like gift cards, a free day out of uniforms and free admission to school events,” he said. “We also have developed partnerships with community-based organizations that include mentorship and experiential rewards.”
Moving forward, Ellis hopes expanded mentorship opportunities and pointed data analysis will help the district cut down on chronic absenteeism.
LCSD
Superintendent Sam Allison agreed that causes of chronic absenteeism vary from student to student.
“The common thread is that there is always an underlying issue – whether it’s related to family circumstances, health or personal challenges – contributing to the absences,” Allison wrote in an email to The Dispatch.
LCSD has the lowest rate of chronically absent students among the three districts. Allison said each of the districts’ schools provide incentives for attendance, like awards and recognition programs, but with chronically absent students it takes more effort.
Because their absences are often tied to deeper underlying issues, those students require more targeted intervention, he said.
“For chronically absent students, our efforts focus on collaboration between attendance officers and families to address the root causes of absences and find sustainable solutions,” Allison said.
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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