Why attendance matters

One of the most important things your child can do to achieve academic success is also one of the most basic: going to school every day.

• Students with regular attendance are more likely to do well in school and graduate on time.
• Missing even 2 days of school in a month can create serious gaps in understanding math at any age.
• Middle and high school students who miss too many days fail classes and are unlikely to graduate.
• A student who is absent two days a month misses an equivalent of nearly one & a half years of their schooling. 

Myths about Attendance

“Only unexcused absences create attendance problems.”
All types of absences, including excused and in-school suspensions, make a difference. Time out of the classroom equals time away from instruction and learning.

“Absences in the early grades don’t really affect academics.”
Attendance in early grades matters. Research shows that too many absences in early grades can result in an inability to read at grade-level by third grade.

“Absences are only a problem if they’re consecutive.”
It's the cumulative effect of lost instruction time that makes the difference. Studies show that only two or three nonconsecutive absences per month can seriously impact a student's ability to succeed in school.

What can families do?

• Establish a habit of good attendance in early grades.
• Set a family expectation that absences won't be allowed unless the student is truly sick.
• Ask your school about referrals to services concerning transportation,
• health care or other barriers to school attendance.
• School counselors are ready to provide support to students having difficulty attending school regularly.

Learn more

Use the links below to learn more about how studebt attendance may be the biggest factor influencing their success in school.

• Track your student’s attendance on the Newberg School District mobile app.
• Absences add up.  Use this slider tool to chart the impact absences can have on your child. 
• Find you schools absentee rate (note: 2013-14 data) in this Oregonian report: Empty Desks: Oregon’s Absenteeism Epidemic.
• Read the Oregon Department of Education research brief: School Attendance, Absenteeism and Student Success.