Mississippi reported its highest rate of chronic absenteeism since the Mississippi Department of Education began calculating and reporting that data in 2016.
Twenty-eight percent of Mississippi students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year, up from 20.7% the previous year.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10%, 18 days out of the 180-day school year, for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions.
Rates of chronic absenteeism in the Senatobia Municipal School District were moderately lower than the state average in 2021-22, while the Tate County School District saw a significant amount of absenteeism.
Roughly 25.5% of students in the Senatobia School District were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. Of 1,728 students enrolled, 441 were chronically absent.
The absenteeism rate was highest at Senatobia High School where 37.9%, or 189 of 498 students enrolled, were chronically absent. Senatobia Middle School had 98 students out of 389 absent for a rate of 25.1%, while 154 of 841 students at Senatobia Elementary School were repeatedly absent for a rate of 18.3%
Approximately 42% of students in the Tate County School District were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. Of 2,169 students enrolled, 913 were chronically absent.
The absenteeism rate was highest at Strayhorn High School where 56.8%, or 196 of 345 students enrolled, were chronically absent.
Chronic absenteeism data from other schools in the Tate County School District includes:
• Coldwater Elementary – 63 of 220 students for 28.6%
• Coldwater High – 99 of 196 students for 50.5%
• East Tate Elementary – 174 of 523 students for 33.2%
• Independence High – 244 of 488 students for 50%
• Strayhorn Elementary – 141 of 411 students for 34.3%
Chronically absent students are more likely to fall behind academically and less likely to graduate from high school, MDE said. The department said there's no easy solution for addressing chronic absenteeism. It will take the collective effort of schools, attendance officers, families and communities to address the problem.
MDE will relaunch a statewide attendance awareness campaign in June designed to challenge students and school districts to reduce individual absences to no more than five absences in a school year.
The campaign was first launched in September 2018 as part of a national movement to reduce chronic absenteeism. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mississippi's chronic absenteeism rate fell to 13% for the 2018-19 school year.
“Higher than normal chronic absenteeism numbers are not unique to Mississippi following the pandemic,” Robert Taylor, state superintendent of education, said in a statement. “Now more than ever, it is imperative that MDE and all educational stakeholders develop and implement strategies to get students back in school and on track to achieve academic and career success.”
