Reducing Absenteeism: Lessons from Lakeside Union SD

Is your student attendance slipping as the school year progresses? If so, you’re not alone. In our recent webinar, education leaders from Lakeside Union School District shared how they transformed their attendance rates using three powerful strategies that any district can implement.

A District-Wide Approach with School-Level Flexibility

Dr. Rhonda Taylor, Superintendent at Lakeside Union SD, emphasized the importance of unified district standards while allowing schools the flexibility to adapt to their unique needs. By implementing attendance as part of principal evaluations and fostering an “it takes a village approach” through community partnerships, Lakeside created accountability at every level while respecting each school’s individual challenges.

Data-Driven Early Intervention

The webinar revealed impressive results from Lakeside’s strategic use of attendance data. Their approach allowed them to identify at-risk students before patterns became problematic. Dr. Patricia Fernández, Director of Student Support Services, demonstrated how their data analysis led to a remarkable decrease in chronic absenteeism across all student groups, including a significant reduction for English Language Learners.

Multi-Tiered Family Engagement

Perhaps most compelling was Lakeside’s focus on meaningful family partnerships. Dr. Leslie Hardiman, Principal at Tierra del Sol Middle School, shared how her team implemented an “All Hands on Deck” approach, including:

• Student-led ASB Attendance Teams planning activities for historically high-absence days
• Personal phone calls directly to students
• Weekly email updates to parents about attendance progress

The results speak for themselves: attendance conferences showed a 49.8% improvement rate, with chronic absenteeism declining across all grade levels and demographic groups.

Research-Backed Strategies

SchoolStatus research findings validate Lakeside’s approach, revealing that while 81% of educators want targeted attendance strategies, only 37% regularly communicate about attendance. This communication gap represents a significant opportunity for improvement that Lakeside successfully addressed.

Want to learn more about implementing these proven strategies in your own district? Watch the complete webinar recording for detailed implementation tips, data insights, and practical examples from Lakeside’s success story.