How to Choose the Best Attendance Management Solution for Your District

Including Downloadable Tools and Resources to Get You Started

Districts implementing automated attendance interventions and family-school communications solutions have reduced chronic absenteeism by up to 20% while improving family engagement, funding, and morale.

Chronic absenteeism isn’t just a student issue—it’s a systems issue. When students miss school, it impacts funding, staff morale, graduation rates, and lifelong outcomes.

This 6-step guide is your blueprint for making a strategic, confident decision. You’ll learn how to evaluate your needs, bring the right voices to the table, and choose a solution that empowers your educators, supports your families, and improves student outcomes.

Step 1: Assemble the Right Team

Attendance success is a team sport. Your evaluation process should include representatives from every level of the district:

Who to Include:

• District administrators: Lead vision and alignment with broader goals; ensure accountability and resources
• IT/data specialists: Manage SIS integration, technical setup, and ensure real-time data accuracy
• Principals and instructional staff: Help translate strategy into on-campus actions; advocate for site-level needs
• Attendance officers and counselors: Identify at-risk students and coordinate timely, compassionate interventions
• Front office staff and family liaisons: Ensure day-to-day tracking and effective, culturally relevant family communication

Step 2: Define Your Attendance Goals

Start with clarity. What do you want your attendance strategy to achieve?

Use baseline data to set measurable goals like:

• Reduce chronic absenteeism by 10% district-wide
• Increase timely family response rates by 30%
• Identify at-risk students earlier using predictive analytics before they hit the chronic threshold

External Resource: Attendance Works – Data and Goal Setting

Step 3: Explore Comprehensive Attendance Solutions

Not all platforms are created equal. Focus on features that empower action, not just recordkeeping.

Essential Features:

• Real-time attendance dashboards
• Seamless SIS integration
• Automated, two-way outreach (text, phone, email)
• Translation and accessibility tools
• Student-level analytics by grade, subgroup, or school

Featured Product: SchoolStatus Attend helps schools take early action and reduce administrative burden.

Step 4: Evaluate Stakeholder Experience

A platform that doesn’t serve your people won’t serve your purpose. Evaluate usability, inclusivity, and support.

Ask:

• Is it intuitive for staff?
• Is it mobile-friendly for families?
• Are materials translated?
• Is there built-in help or training?
  

External Resource: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

Step 5: Build a Strategic Implementation Plan

Success isn’t just in what you buy—it’s in how you roll it out.

Checklist for Rollout:

• Monitor implementation fidelity and adjust
• Identify pilot schools and phase-in plan
• Provide tailored training by role
• Align platform usage with district initiatives

Step 6: Monitor, Measure, and Improve

Once your platform is in place, build a cycle of reflection.

Best Practices:

• Track KPIs like response rate, absenteeism rate, and intervention success
• Regularly review data at the school and district levels
• Adjust strategies based on what the data shows

External Resource: Edutopia – Strategies for Improving Attendance

Proving ROI: Real Impact in Real Districts

Choosing a powerful attendance solution isn’t just a strategic move—it’s a financial one.

Attendance influences more than just student achievement. Many states tie funding directly to average daily attendance, so each intervention and improvement counts.

Here are some example ROI Metrics to Track:

• Reduction in chronic absenteeism
• Increase in funding due to improved ADA (Average Daily Attendance)
• Staff time saved via automation and centralized data
• Improved family communication response rates

Check out this Attendance Impact Calculator to see the positive effect higher attendance rates could have on your district.

Real Results in Action

Roseville City School District

Roseville City School District in California tackled rising chronic absenteeism by partnering with SchoolStatus Attend to implement a data-driven, proactive approach to family communication. Transitioning from manual attendance tracking to real-time data access, the district empowered educators to identify and address attendance issues promptly. This shift enabled consistent, district-wide protocols and the launch of the “Every Day Matters” campaign, fostering positive messaging about attendance across various platforms. Read the blog post to learn more!

The most notable outcome was a 43% average reduction in chronic absenteeism across all 21 school sites by the end of the 2023–2024 school year. As of January 2025, the district maintained a 34.71% decrease in chronic absenteeism, with significant improvements among English Language Learners, whose absenteeism rates dropped from 13% to 7%. 

Erin Peterson, Director of Educational Services, highlighted the district’s success:

Download the complete case study.

Troup County School System

Troup County School System in Georgia faced inconsistent attendance tracking and communication across its 18 schools. To address this, the district implemented SchoolStatus Attend, an automated attendance management platform. This solution streamlined processes by automating parent notifications and providing real-time visibility into student attendance, enabling staff to focus on strategic interventions rather than administrative tasks.

As a result, the district achieved a 25% reduction in chronic absenteeism over two years, decreasing from 16.6% in 2022–23 to 12.2% in 2024–25. The platform also facilitated over 9,500 attendance-related communications and 1,800 documented family meetings, improving student attendance.

Candice McGhee, Director of Preventions and Interventions, highlighted the platform’s impact:

Download the complete case study.

Grand Prairie Independent School District

Grand Prairie Independent School District (GPISD), serving over 26,000 students across 39 schools in Texas, faced challenges with outdated attendance tracking methods that hindered timely interventions. The manual processes consumed valuable time, making it difficult for the district’s small attendance team to focus on direct student support. To address this, GPISD implemented SchoolStatus Attend, a platform designed to streamline attendance management and facilitate proactive communication with families.

Since adopting SchoolStatus Attend, GPISD has enhanced its real-time monitoring of attendance data, allowing for quicker identification of at-risk students and more effective interventions. The platform’s automation capabilities have reduced administrative burdens, enabling staff to dedicate more time engaging with students and families. Notably, the district achieved a 23% conference effectiveness rate, indicating that nearly a quarter of students showed improved attendance following intervention meetings.

Dr. Tameka Lewis, GPISD’s Student Attendance & Dropout Prevention Coordinator, emphasized the impact of the new system:

Download the complete case study

Why SchoolStatus?

At SchoolStatus, we believe that every student deserves the best chance to succeed—and that starts with being present. Our integrated platform supports educators, administrators, and families by breaking down the barriers that keep students out of the classroom.

We combine SIS-integrated attendance data with intuitive dashboards, proactive communication tools, and automated outreach strategies to help districts spot patterns, intervene early, and drive lasting improvement.

With SchoolStatus, you get:

• Immediate impact: Automated interventions based on your attendance data
• Stronger family relationships: Personalized, translated outreach builds trust
• Improved student outcomes: Increase daily attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism
• Less admin burden: Save time and ensure consistent processes across sites.

When you partner with SchoolStatus, you’re empowering your district with the clarity, consistency, and compassion needed to help every student show up and succeed. If you’re ready to discuss how your district can drive real results, schedule a call today.