Adams 12 outlines attendance plan after months of low rates; district launches targeted supports

District staff presented a detailed attendance update, reporting that average daily attendance has been well below pre‑pandemic levels and that the district is adopting short- and long-term targets and school-level interventions to reduce chronic absenteeism.

Beau Fobert and Lori Bailey (titles given in the meeting as student-family outreach and intervention services leads) reviewed monthly attendance trends going back to 2023 and said the district saw a notable uptick in August. Staff defined chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of days enrolled and noted that the metric fluctuates when students enroll or disenroll midyear.

District one-year targets in the academic roadmap include raising elementary average daily attendance to 89.1% (with a longer-term goal of 95% over five years), middle schools to 90% (target 93% in five years) and high schools to 85% (target 90% in five years). The district also set a goal to reduce chronic absenteeism by three percentage points in 2025–26 and to reduce chronic absenteeism under 15% districtwide within five years.

To address attendance, the district said it has: added an intervention services case manager to work intensively with six pilot schools; created a transportation liaison to get students experiencing homelessness or housing instability on routes within 24–48 hours; used district vehicles to pick up students for first-day attendance; leveraged Adams County collaborative funds to offer small incentive grants at schools; and trained staff in data‑driven interventions and early-warning systems.

Lori Bailey highlighted building-level examples: Stuckey Elementary embedded chronic absenteeism work into its performance-management tool and Hunters Glen Elementary adjusted staff practices to follow up and clarify policy 5020 on excused absences. Northglenn High’s Truancy Court “Come to School” program uses a magistrate and focuses on students with 70–85% attendance to remove barriers and re-engage students.

Board members asked about mobility, the relationship between attendance and academic measures, and the effect of free meal program changes. District staff said mobility and housing instability are frequent drivers of absences and described efforts to connect families to transportation and supports so students can attend. Board members praised the pilot interventions but asked for frequent updates to measure whether the strategies scale districtwide.