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Thousands of K-12 students in Detroit consistently miss days of school.

is defined as missing at least 10% of school days—or 18 in a 180-day academic year. In Detroit, chronic absenteeism and remains a persistent challenge.

To encourage attendance, the Detroit Public Schools Community District is getting creative. This past year, Michigan's largest school district awarded for attending all their classes during a two-week period, and Superintendent Nikolai Vitti also floated the idea of to help students get to class. Some district students lack access to reliable transportation.

To understand the consequences of kids regularly missing school, The Conversation U.S. spoke with Sarah Lenhoff, associate professor of education at Wayne State University and director of the , an education-focused research collaborative, and Jeremy Singer, an assistant professor of education at Wayne State University. Lenhoff and Singer about the socioeconomic drivers of chronic absenteeism in K-12 schools and how policymakers and communities, not just educators, can help.

Is chronic absenteeism the same as truancy?

No. Truancy is how schools have thought about and dealt with student attendance problems since the early days of public education in the United States in the 19th century and is . It focuses on "unexcused" absences and compliance with mandatory school attendance laws. By contrast, chronic absenteeism includes any absence—whether "excused" or "unexcused"—because each absence can be consequential for student learning and development.

Chronic absenteeism is usually defined as missing 10% or more school days. The 10% threshold is somewhat arbitrary, since researchers know that the consequences of missing school accumulate with . But the specific definition of chronic absenteeism has been solidified in research and by policymakers. Most states now include a measure of chronic absenteeism in their .

How big of a problem is chronic absenteeism in Detroit's K-12 public schools?

Detroit has among the highest chronic absenteeism rates in the country: in recent school years. Prior to the pandemic, the average rate of chronic absenteeism nationwide was about 15%, and it was in 2024.

In one of our , we found Detroit's chronic absenteeism rate was much higher than other major cities—even others with high absenteeism rates such as Milwaukee or Philadelphia.

This is related to the depth of that Detroit families face. Compared to other major cities, Detroit has higher rates of poverty, unemployment and crime. It has worse public health conditions. And even its winters are some of the coldest of major U.S. cities. All of these factors make it harder for kids to attend school.

Rates of chronic absenteeism , as they did statewide. The Detroit Public Schools Community District has come close to returning to its . The rates were 66% in the 2023-24 school year compared to 62% in the school year right before the pandemic began, 2018–19.

Detroit's charter schools have struggled more to bring down their , but the numbers are lower overall—54% in the 2023-24 school year compared to 36% in 2018–19.

How does missing school affect students?

The connection between attendance and achievement is clear: Students who miss more school on average . As early as pre-K, being chronically absent is linked to lower levels of , both academically and behaviorally. By , students who miss more school tend to earn lower grades and GPAs and are less likely to graduate.

And it's not just the absent students who are affected. When more kids in a class miss school regularly, that is associated with and worse measures of for other students in that class.

Does chronic absenteeism vary by family income or other factors?

Rates of chronic absenteeism are much higher among . In these cases, absenteeism is often driven by such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation, health issues, lack of access to childcare, or parents who work nontraditional hours. These challenges make it harder for students to get to school consistently, even when families are deeply committed to education.

School-based factors also influence attendance. Students are more likely to be chronically absent in schools with . However, even schools with strong practices may struggle if they serve communities facing deep socioeconomic hardship.

Ultimately, we don't view chronic absenteeism as an issue of student motivation or family values. Rather, we see it as an issue related to the unequal conditions that shape students' lives.

Does punishing absent kids or their parents work?

Many schools have suspended students for absences, or threatened their parents with . In some cases, families have due to their children's chronic absenteeism.

Research shows , they can .

For example, we found that when schools respond with punishment instead of support, they often alienate the very students and families who are already struggling to stay connected. Harsh responses can deepen mistrust between families and schools. When absences are treated as a personal failing caused by a lack of motivation or irresponsibility rather than symptoms of deeper challenges, students and parents may disengage further.

Instead, educators might ask: What's getting in the way of consistent attendance, and how can we help? That shift can help improve attendance.

What can policymakers, school districts and community organizations do to reduce chronic absenteeism?

Chronic absenteeism is a societal issue, not just a school problem. In other words, we need to recognize that chronic absenteeism is not a problem that schools can solve alone. While educators work to improve conditions within schools, policymakers and community leaders can take responsibility for the broader factors that influence attendance.

This could look like investing more resources and fostering collaboration across sectors such as health care, housing, transportation and social services to better support students and their families. Community organizations can play a role too, offering wraparound services such as mental health care, access to transportation, and after-school programming, all of which can support families. In the meantime, educators can focus on what they can control: strengthening communication with families, building supportive relationships and helping families connect with existing services that can remove attendance barriers.