Story at a glance

• The 15% of public school students considered chronically absent in 2018 jumped to 28% in 2022.

• At the same time, data shows that 72% of U.S. public schools reported teachers missed more classroom time than they did before 2020.

• Experts largely blame the pandemic for shifting behaviors.

(NewsNation) — The number of students and teachers who miss at least 18 days of the school year has grown at an alarming rate since the COVID-19 pandemic but is becoming more problematic thanks to a ripple effect that disrupts the classroom culture across the country.

When 10% of a student’s classmates are absent on one day, that student is nearly 20% more likely to be absent the following day, a Texas Tech University study found.

While the U.S. Department of Education targeted chronic absenteeism (defined as students who miss at least 10% of the school year) as being problematic in 2016 when an estimated 7 million kids fell into that category, the issue has only worsened.

The 15% of public school students considered chronically absent in 2018 jumped to 28% in 2022, a study conducted by the American Enterprise Institute shows. At the same time, data shows that 72% of U.S. public schools reported teachers missed more classroom time than they did before 2020.

Experts say that while those who miss school the most can fall along racial and socioeconomic lines, the fact districts across the board have seen nearly 50% increases makes absenteeism the top issue facing public education today.

COVID Class of 2024

High school seniors leave school four years after COVID-19 started