Kansas schools continue to see a decrease in attendance three years post-pandemic

Three years since the pandemic caused public schools to resort to online learning, Kansas schools are continuing to see a decrease in attendance. 

More than one in four Kansas students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year, according to Kansas City radio station KCUR. 

The Department of Education defines chronically absent as missing “at least 15 days of school in a year.”  

While state education leaders are still compiling the data from last school year, they acknowledge school attendance has only continued its downward trajectory. Robyn Kelso, an education program analyst for the Kansas Department of Education, said she’s continuing to see an uptick in student absences.  

“Across the board there’s been a significant jump in the chronic absentee rate,” Kelso said, according to The Lawrence Times. “Remember the last two years. It’s been a pretty significant, unprecedented time for schooling.” 

Laura Drouard, principal of Riverside Elementary School in Wichita, has noticed parents are being more cautious about sending their children to school in fear of spreading illnesses. 

“If our kids have the sniffles or a cough, there still is this idea out there of worry that it might spread,” Drouard said, according to KCUR. “We have a nurse who can check for temperatures and other concerns. So, we hope the message is: If you’re not sick, be at school and create those consistent routines.” 

While there are multiple reasons for the attendance decline, experts believe the most prevalent reason is students’ struggling to transition from remote learning back to the classroom.  

Jane Groff, executive director of Kansas Parent Information Resource Center, said low student attendance has placed districts on alert. 

“Districts and schools are looking at this issue much more. I’ve done this 15 years, and attendance and chronic absenteeism has never risen to the top like it has now,” Groff said according to The Lawrence Times.  

The Wichita school district recently hired EveryDay Labs, a software and consulting company that provides evidence-based attendance intervention while expanding families’ access to support. EveryDay Labs alerts families with letters, emails and text messages when their children miss too much school.  

CEO of EveryDay Labs Emily Bailard understands it can be hard to keep track of how many days your children have missed in a year.  

“Parents have a lot of misconceptions about attendance,” Bailard said according to KCUR. “Most parents really don’t keep track of the number of days our children have missed school, and when asked to estimate, get it wrong by 2x.” 

Jim McNiece was an educator for 39 years, and found attendance played a big part in a student’s success in school and life.  

“I have a wealth of experience chasing kids who didn’t come to school,” McNiece said according to The Lawrence Times. “If we can change attendance, we can change their life.”