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District reports attendance gains at most schools, chronic absenteeism still above national average
Summary
District staff told the board that seven of nine schools improved March attendance versus last year and that targeted interventions at ERCO helped raise that program’s rate; chronic absenteeism for March was 33 percent (state calculation) compared with a national average near 26 percent.
District attendance staff reviewed a March snapshot showing improvement at most schools but said chronic absenteeism remains a concern.
The presenter reported that seven of nine schools showed improved March attendance versus the prior year; two schools — Erie and Lake Creek — were maintaining 92 percent or higher. The alternative‑program site ERCO raised attendance from 61 percent to 65 percent in the period shown, a 4‑point increase the presenter described as significant.
Using the state’s chronic‑absenteeism methodology (students enrolled for 75 or more days and counted for the measurement period), the presenter said the district’s chronic rate as of the March pull was 33 percent; last year’s rate was 29 percent. The presenter noted Oregon’s statewide rates near 34–35 percent and a national average near 26 percent, and said the district’s work should continue to lower chronic rates.
Interventions described included more frequent attendance meetings (some schools meeting several times weekly), home visits and welfare checks, expanded use of MTSS teams to combine attendance, social‑emotional and academic data, Saturday school and senior support programs. The presenter said staff also are tracking reasons for enrollment departures and will add dropdown codes to better capture where students who leave the district enroll next.
On enrollment, staff said overall district enrollment remains lower than the start of the prior year, but that so far this year 159 fewer students have left the district than at the same point last year; total leave counts through the report period were 269 versus 428 in the prior year. The presenter described a drop in homeschool conversions (58 last year vs. 17 this year) and said those outreach efforts are ongoing.
The board asked whether the district correlates absenteeism with academic performance; staff said high‑school MTSS teams regularly track attendance alongside grades and assessments and that the district can pull a student’s multi‑year attendance history to identify when chronic absence began.
