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Rice Lake reports improving attendance trends but high‑school chronic absenteeism near 24%
Summary
District staff told the board chronic absenteeism (missing 10% or more of the year) has declined overall, but almost a quarter of high‑school students met the chronic‑absence threshold; the board asked for more granular breakdowns of excused vs. unexcused absences and timing-of-day patterns.
District staff presented the 2024–25 student‑attendance report, saying chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of the school year (about 18 days) and that district rates have declined compared with several prior years. The presenter noted that excused absences such as pre‑approved college visits or school activities do count toward the 10% metric but do not count for truancy criteria.
The presentation included a high‑school baseline near 24–25% of students meeting the chronic‑absence threshold; board members asked for a breakdown of that figure into excused versus unexcused absences and where in the school day the absences cluster. One board member also asked whether long‑term absentee students show lower achievement and requested follow‑up analysis linking chronic absence to academic outcomes.
Administrators said staff will provide additional analysis on the unexcused/excused split and consider timing-of‑day patterns so the board can determine targeted interventions. No immediate policy changes were proposed.
