Chronic absenteeism in Maine

Students who are chronically absent are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, more likely to fail in middle school and eventually drop out of high school. Chronic absence can be solved when schools, families, and communities work together to create a culture of attendance as early as preschool and kindergarten and regularly monitor progress and identify any barriers to getting to school. See Count ME In

What the data shows
The pandemic had an effect on chronic absenteeism that has continued even past hybrid education and quarantines. Chronic absentee rates peaked in 2022 at 28.4%. This rate has been slowly improving to now 24.5% in 2024. Among students who were economically disadvantaged, the rate decreased from 40.0% to 34.9%,. For higher income students, it decreased from 22.2% to 17.7%.  For the 2023-2024 school year, 42,210 students, more than half of whom come from families earning less than 185% of the federal poverty rate were chronically absent in Maine.

Students who are chronically absent are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, more likely to fail in middle school and eventually drop out of high school. Chronic absence can be solved when schools, families, and communities work together to create a culture of attendance as early as preschool and kindergarten and regularly monitor progress and identify any barriers to getting to school. See Count ME In

What the data shows
The pandemic had an effect on chronic absenteeism that has continued even past hybrid education and quarantines. Chronic absentee rates peaked in 2022 at 28.4%. This rate has been slowly improving to now 24.5% in 2024. Among students who were economically disadvantaged, the rate decreased from 40.0% to 34.9%,. For higher income students, it decreased from 22.2% to 17.7%.  For the 2023-2024 school year, 42,210 students, more than half of whom come from families earning less than 185% of the federal poverty rate were chronically absent in Maine.