Nebraska Department of Education Homepage

Chronic Absenteeism

In Nebraska, a student who misses 10% of the school year—or about two days of school per month—for any reason is chronically absent. What’s more, students who are chronically absent each year throughout their K-12 education will miss a full year of instruction due to these collective absences1. Chronic absence disproportionately affects students with disabilities, students of color, and economically disadvantaged students and has a significant impact on students in Kindergarten as well as high school students.

There are many reasons for chronic absenteeism, which may be organized into three primary categories: barriers, aversion, and disengagement. Barriers include adult responsibilities, disciplinary issues, health, housing instability, involvement in child welfare, and transportation issues (including neighborhood safety). Aversion includes low academic performance, mental health reasons, receiving special education, and school climate. Disengagement includes low connectedness, negative peer influence, and substance use.2

The good news is that many Nebraska schools are working hard to reduce chronic absence, highlighting that improving school attendance is a solvable problem. What works is taking a data-driven, comprehensive approach that begins with engaging students and families as well as preventing absences from adding up before they fall behind academically. The key is using chronic absence data as a diagnostic tool to identify where prevention and early intervention are needed.

Explore more about chronic absenteeism rates in your school district or school by viewing this map or data available through the Nebraska Educational Profiles to learn more.

  1. Merod, Anna. “Students Miss Over 200M More School Days Annually Since COVID.” K-12 Dive, https://www.k12dive.com/news/students-miss-over-200m-more-school-days-annually-since-covid/827471/. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

  2.  Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement, Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism, 2023.

Parent and Caregiver Resources

Everyday Counts!

When our students miss school, they miss out on so much more than their classes. They miss out on developing skills like communication and teamwork; they miss time with their friends, and chances to discover and develop their talents that only being in school provides. Every day in school counts toward their future success. We want to work together with parents and families to improve school attendance because we believe that every student deserves the chance to reach their full potential.

Here’s how you can help:

  1. Make school attendance a priority for your family.
  2. Establish regular bedtime and morning routines.
  3. Schedule medical appointments and vacations when school is not in session.
  4. Talk to your student about why going to school every day is important.
  5. Stay in touch with your student’s teachers (email is just fine) and attend events at school when you can.
  6. Reach out to your school if you need services or support to make attending school possible or find statewide resources through the Nebraska Network of Care.
  7. Connect with the school counselor or mental health providers if issues such as anxiety, bullying or other challenges cause your student to want to avoid school.

 

Health-Related Absences

If your student misses school due to health-related absences, you are not alone. Health-related absences are one of the top reasons students miss so many days of school, which increases the risk of being chronically absent. Occasional absences related to health reasons are to be expected. But absences can quickly add up when a child has an undertreated chronic health condition, lacks access to care, or experiences anxiety or other mental health issues.

The resources below highlight best practices to support your family in understanding how to best manage health-related absences.

Building Practices that Support Positive Conditions for Learning

Factors such as illness, lack of healthcare, vision and dental care, mental health challenges, unsafe routes to school, transportation issues, lack of belonging and support at school, and involvement with child welfare or the juvenile justice systems can further complicate attendance.

This issue impacts not only the students, but also our entire community. Schools with high absentee rates suffer from lower academic performance, which can affect our overall economic growth. Use the resources below to support foundational, whole-school approaches that promote positive learning conditions for all students and families:

Visit the Attendance Works website for more resources to assist school staff in identifying potential root causes, strategies, and evidence-based interventions to address chronic absenteeism in your school community.

Tiered Practices to Support the Reduction of Chronic Absence

Tiered support for reducing chronic absenteeism.

MTSS tiered pyramid

Early interventions are key in reducing chronic absenteeism.  Utilizing a tiered approach can aid school districts in maximizing efforts to meet families where they are. Research and experience show that attendance improves when a school community offers a warm and welcoming environment that engages students and families and provides enriching learning opportunities.

Students are more likely to come to school when they feel safe, know that someone at the school cares about them, and when there are exciting and relevant lessons. Families are more likely to make sure their children are in class every day when they know school staff is looking out for their children’s best interests and when they understand the potentially adverse impact of absences, even just two days a month, on academic success.

Tier 1: universal supports available to all students should include:

Tier 2: early intervention supports, to support those students who are moderately chronically absent (students missing 10-19% of school), include:

  • Common community and school barriers identified and addressed
  • Individualized student success plan that includes attention to attendance
  • Family visits
  • Staff and peer mentors
  • Restorative alternatives to discipline and suspension

Tier 3: intensive interventions, recommended for those students who are severely chronically absent (students missing 20% or more of school) include:

  • Educational support champions/advocates
  • Interagency case management
  • Student attendance review board
  • Individualized learning and success plan leading to graduation
  • Legal Intervention (as a last resort)

Don’t wait until student absences have advanced to tier 3!

Invest in foundational supports and universal prevention strategies

  • Monitor attendance data
  • Intervene early
  • Initiate personalized outreach to the student and family before the absences add up

Nebraska Resources

Updated August 14, 2026 9:57am