Waco ISD has seen chronic absenteeism numbers soar past state averages over the past few school years.
WACO, Texas — At a meeting on Friday, Jan. 26, Waco ISD board members said that district-wide attendance, as well as attendance across the state, is down.
District leaders during 2021 and 2022 saw a 17 percent jump in chronic absenteeism, with students missing ten or more days over the course of the school year.
“If a kid isn’t there, you have somebody chasing them down wondering what’s happened to this soul,” said Johnathan Grant, District 4 board member.
In a presentation before the school board, district leaders learned that the largest amount of absences falls among high school students, specifically during late start days where they were told attendance sits around 68 to 70 percent.
“We don’t have students who leave for no reason at the elementary level,” said one speaker at the meeting. …