Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the District Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
District data: enrollment down from decade peak, chronic absenteeism remains a priority
Summary
District staff presented enrollment, demographic and accountability data showing long‑term enrollment declines, improvements since the COVID period, and chronic absenteeism rates the district is working to reduce; three schools were already identified for support and three additional schools were preliminarily identified.
District data staff presented enrollment, demographic and accountability figures to the Kenmore‑Tonawanda Board of Education on Feb. 13, 2025, reporting a district enrollment figure near 8,290 in one referenced projection and roughly 6,650 students attending district schools as of the February 1 snapshot.
"You can see the continual decline, through the years, over the last, 10 years. We are at about 8,290 students," the presenter said while reviewing long‑term trends. Board and district leaders noted that the district’s in‑school attendance figure (students actually attending district schools) differs from the projected resident population and that pre‑K enrollment and other factors affect counts.
Presenters and the superintendent highlighted chronic absenteeism as a continuing concern. The district reported a 2023‑24 elementary chronic‑absence rate of about 20.4% for the full school year and noted that as of the Feb. 13 report the elementary rate was about 20.2% and the secondary rate about 26%. Staff said those figures represent improvement from earlier peaks but remain material policy concerns because chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% of the school year (about 18 days).
Officials described efforts to improve attendance, including incentive programs at schools, partnerships for rewards (Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Bisons, Buffalo Sabres) and school‑level creative approaches. The board also discussed upcoming changes to state accountability measures: chronic absenteeism as previously defined will be replaced with a new attendance indicator that counts ranges of missed days and affects the district accountability report.
The presentation noted subgroup performance and preliminary accountability identifications. The district currently has three schools designated for targeted support (Hoover Middle School, Franklin Middle School and Franklin Elementary School) and preliminary data showed three additional schools in that status: Holmes Elementary School, Kenmore West High School and Kenmore East High School. District staff said they are partnering with external consultants to develop improvement plans for the identified schools.
Superintendent Samato emphasized the district’s continuing focus on strategic, school‑level improvement work and noted that the district is “trending in the right direction” on several metrics while acknowledging more work remains. No new board action on accountability was taken at the meeting; the presentation was informational and described steps the district will take with identified schools.
