Chronic absenteeism threatens NYC school performance, experts urge attendance focus
About one-third of New York City students are expected to miss at least 10% of the school year, a chronic absenteeism rate that undermines academic progress.
As the new school year begins, roughly a third of New York City pupils will miss at least 10% of class time, up from 26.5% in 2018-19 to 34.8% now. Early-grade absenteeism is especially acute, with 37.8% of kindergarteners chronically absent in 2024-25, a pattern linked to poorer test scores, higher drug use and criminal-justice involvement later in life. Despite per-pupil spending exceeding $42,000, students still receive 130 fewer classroom hours than the national average, and overall enrollment has dropped by more than 100,000 since 2020.
Charter schools, representing 16% of the student body, achieve better attendance through parental outreach, rewards, penalties and flexible staffing. The article calls on Chancellor Kamar Samuels and district leaders to make attendance a top priority, appoint absentee-avoidance liaisons, deploy early-warning alerts, and consider innovative incentives such as cash rewards used in Detroit. More timely attendance data is also needed to monitor progress.
Why it matters
High absenteeism limits learning and widens achievement gaps for millions of NYC students.
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