How to Help Students Get to Class and Succeed

Chronic absenteeism continues to disrupt student learning in districts across the country. Today, more than one in four students is missing 10% or more of the school year. The longer a student is absent, the harder it becomes to catch up academically, emotionally, and socially.

The causes of absenteeism are varied and complex. For some students, transportation or housing instability can lead to inconsistent school attendance. For others, mental health, family stress, or a lack of connection to school may keep them away. As districts seek to support students more effectively, they need tools that make these challenges visible and student attendance solutions that help staff take meaningful action.

In our latest eBook, “Better Attendance, Better Outcomes,” we explore how districts are using digital tools to identify barriers, engage families, and establish effective support systems. This post highlights the key takeaways and actionable strategies you can use in your district.

Why Early Intervention Is the Key to Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

Attendance challenges often begin quietly. A few missed Mondays. An uptick in tardiness. Occasional days off for appointments or family responsibilities. But over time, those absences add up, especially for students who already face systemic barriers.

Research indicates that 67% of course failures are directly linked to absenteeism. That’s why addressing attendance early and consistently is essential to helping students stay on track.

Reactive strategies, however, such as sending a form letter or scheduling a punitive meeting, typically don’t result in sustained improvement. Families need more than notification; they need context, empathy, and a clear path forward.

👉 Download the full eBook: Better Attendance, Better Outcomes

Post-Pandemic Sentiments Changed the Landscape

Many educators expected families to return to school with renewed energy after remote learning. But for some communities, the opposite happened.

“I thought we were going to have 110% attendance when we came back,” said Jessica Hull, Executive Director of Communication and Community Engagement at Roseville City School District. “And it was actually the opposite because sentiments changed during that time. It was hard to get those families back.”

Her words reflect a shift that many district leaders have felt. Disconnection, new routines, and changing priorities meant some families became less engaged even after schools reopened. In this environment, building (or rebuilding) trust is just as critical as enforcing policy.

What’s Missing from Traditional Strategies

Traditional K-12 attendance interventions often fail to address three key gaps:

• Visibility: Staff often don’t recognize issues until they become chronic
• Communication: Messages are often unclear, inaccessible, or one-size-fits-all
• Follow-through: There’s no streamlined way to escalate support or track outcomes

Digital tools can close these gaps if they provide real-time insights, inclusive communication, and a structure for timely intervention that reaches every family.

👉 Download the full eBook: Better Attendance, Better Outcomes

The SchoolStatus Approach

At SchoolStatus, we help schools take a comprehensive, student-centered approach to attendance. We’ve designed our solutions to reduce the burden on educators while increasing impact.

With SchoolStatus Attend, districts can:

• Identify students trending toward chronic absenteeism before it becomes critical
• Automate personalized interventions, including multilingual mailings and digital nudges
• Document every touchpoint and track effectiveness over time

SchoolStatus Connect makes communication more accessible by:

• Supporting more than 130 languages with 2-way automatic translation
• Offering multi-channel outreach (phone, text, email, portal)
• Delivering clear, contextual messages grounded in student data

Together, these tools enable educators to focus on action rather than paperwork and connection rather than compliance.

Districts Are Seeing Results

Districts using SchoolStatus have seen measurable improvements in attendance and family engagement.

• In California, partner districts saw a 21% drop in chronic absenteeism over three years and now average 93.45% daily attendance.
• In Texas, SchoolStatus supports 62% of public school students. Districts using our solutions have outperformed state averages and achieved consistent, double-digit reductions in absenteeism.
• Sheldon ISD implemented a three-tiered intervention model using SchoolStatus tools, resulting in improved attendance and stronger academic outcomes.

These outcomes reflect more than operational improvement. They show renewed momentum for students who had previously disengaged.

Attendance as a Measure of Belonging

A successful attendance strategy does more than track who’s missing. It supports students in returning and staying connected to school.

By combining real-time data with personalized outreach, educators can engage families in early, productive conversations, recognize the warning signs before they escalate, and create a school culture where every student feels seen and supported.

Attendance is one of the earliest indicators of student well-being. When schools invest in understanding it more deeply, they create space for better relationships, stronger outcomes, and more sustainable systems of support.

Save Time. Increase Impact.

Time is one of the scarcest resources for district staff. SchoolStatus helps schools streamline their workflows by automating routine processes, centralizing communication, and simplifying documentation.

Districts using our tools have reported reduced paperwork and manual data entry. They’ve also seen faster and more consistent follow-up with families, giving them more time to focus on student-facing support.

Instead of managing multiple systems or reinventing the wheel for each case, staff can rely on one place to understand what’s happening and what to do next.

Download the eBook

For a deeper dive into the strategies, tools, and real-world results shared here, explore our free resource:

Better Attendance, Better Outcomes