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Chelsea schools present December attendance, dropout and mobility data; officials outline interventions for high school
Summary
District staff reported December indicators showing strong preK–8 attendance (above 90%), a high-school attendance dip near 77%, dropout at 1.96%, and a net mobility gain of 128 students since September; leaders described targeted counseling and attendance interventions for high schoolers.
The Chelsea School Committee reviewed December performance indicators on attendance, dropout and student mobility and heard how staff plan to intervene after a dip in high-school attendance.
Dr. Blake Canty presented three district indicators tied to the strategic plan, saying, "Tonight, I have 3 indicators of success to share out." She reported that prekindergarten through eighth-grade daily attendance was ‘‘above 90% on average’’ for December and that high-school attendance was ‘‘holding steady close to 77% on average for the month of December." On dropout she said, "For our indicator 10, our high school dropout, we're at 1.96%." For mobility she gave cumulative figures from September through the report date: "we've had 297 students in, 169 students out. That is a difference of 128."
Committee members asked whether the mobility difference was comparable to past years. Dr. Canty said she did not have the year‑over‑year number on hand but offered to provide it and noted that staff share the underlying data in a Google Drive. District staff added that the end‑of‑year totals for 2024–25 showed 725 students in and 621 out, a net gain of about 104, and described the current pattern as roughly similar.
Members focused most of the discussion on the high school attendance dip in December, which several members noted hovered around 76–78% for the month. One committee member asked for context and for specific initiatives to support high‑school attendance. "We have our director of counseling and our director of social work running house meetings in conjunction with our attendance officer," Miss Martinello said, describing a shift toward earlier, tiered interventions and more proactive outreach: "So we look at our attendance officer as the tier 3 support, but we're really working to build systems around that tier 3 support so that we're intervening sooner...before we're sending a 10 day letter, having counselors call home, get students and families in, and start to talk about what's preventing them from attending school." She also said staff are working with principals and the attendance officer to implement that approach.
The committee and staff clarified how high‑school attendance is recorded: middle and high schools use period attendance, which flags an absence if a student misses three or more periods. Clerks review period rosters to identify posting discrepancies and serve as a second check on the attendance data.
Dr. Canty said the district has researched national patterns and noted that extended vacations and flu season commonly depress high‑school attendance in December: "That is a national trend that at the high school level, a lot of students' attendance, has decreased because they've extended vacation along with the flu season." She and other administrators said they expect attendance to rebound in January and that staff will call families if rates do not recover.
The committee accepted the report and requested the requested year‑over‑year mobility figures; staff said they would provide the additional data to the committee.
