After decades of plunging enrollment, Kansas City Public Schools is setting a new trend. The number of students is ticking upward.

For the third year in a row, the district鈥檚 enrollment count in late September ran higher than the previous year. Preliminary figures show KCPS added 570 K-12 students since the official count day last year, about a 4% increase.

That leaves it with more than 14,000 students for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic helped bring enrollment to a low point. Including pre-kindergarten students, it has more than 15,000.

With growth come changes in whom the district serves.

Black students, who made up about 58% of the district during the 2024-15 school year, dipped below the majority this year to about 46% of pre-K-to-12 enrollment. Hispanic students represent an increasing share of the district, more than a third this year.

Much of the recent growth has been fueled by families moving into schools that feed into Northeast High School and students who need help learning English.

But growth doesn鈥檛 necessarily pause even after students are counted, and the year is in full swing. During the last school year, KCPS between early September 鈥� before the count day 鈥� and mid-April.

That鈥檚 happening again, said Deputy Superintendent Derald Davis. 鈥淲e continue to enroll new students each and every day.鈥�

Where enrollment growth is happening

Northeast area schools have led the way in increased enrollment, adding hundreds of students both this year and last year.

This year, East High School feeder schools also added 150 students, and the Central High School region added almost 90. Only the Southeast High School area lost students.

Many of those new students are still learning English. The 430 additional English language learners compared to last year account for about two-thirds of the total pre-K-to-12 enrollment growth.

Overall, make up nearly a quarter of the district. The biggest group of them were born in the U.S., Davis said.

鈥淭hey may have families that originated from elsewhere,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f English is not spoken in the home, we still could have many students who arrive at kindergarten with limited English proficiency.鈥�

Hundreds of other students come from Honduras, Mexico and Tanzania.

The growth comes as KCPS prepares to finalize a building plan meant to improve learning and address deferred maintenance issues in a district built for a higher number of students.

A involves opening, closing and moving schools to different buildings. It isn鈥檛 as focused on paring down the number of schools as the plan the district unveiled in 2022.

Enrollment growth makes it easier to justify keeping buildings open and helps bring in the state tax dollars needed to maintain them. But the plan hinges on voter approval of a bond in April 2025.

A district strategic plan calls for KCPS to enroll at least 15,000 K-12 students by 2025, a goal it could hit with about 5.5% enrollment growth over the next year. By 2030, KCPS wants to have 17,000 students.

This first appeared on and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Updated Jan. 25

In 2022, only one state, Arizona, had more chronically absent students than Alaska, where more than missed enough school to be academically at-risk, according to a national nonprofit.

That means nearly half of Alaska students missed at least 10% of the school year in the most recent available data. In a presentation to the Senate Education Committee on Wednesday, Hedy Chang, executive director of the nonprofit Attendance Works, said chronic absenteeism rates have doubled nationwide since the pandemic and Alaska is no exception.

鈥淧art of why you want to notice chronic absence and make sure that kids have good attendance is because it ultimately gets to those outcomes that we really care about,鈥� she said.

The organization chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason.

Data collected by Attendance Works showed that the increases in chronic absence in the state are occurring at the same time as the state鈥檚 scores on national standardized tests are dropping. 鈥淚 think something like 25% of that decline is explained by attendance, the increases in absences actually,鈥� Chang said.

Data also showed the second graders who were chronically absent were less likely to be able to read at grade level than their peers who were not chronically absent. Chang said that the consequences could persist and manifest as poor performance in middle school and a higher likelihood of dropping out of high school.

Before the pandemic, nearly half of the state鈥檚 schools experienced 鈥渆xtreme chronic absence,鈥� where 30% or more students are chronically absent. In the 2021-2022 school year, 86% of Alaska schools experienced extreme chronic absenteeism.

Chang said when students show up everyday to school, it builds routine, reduces stress, creates a sense of security, and increases engagement.

鈥淲hat happens in school is not just instruction, but all those relationships and the opportunities to learn and develop with peers, as well as with adults, when you go to school,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t gives you greater access to resources, whether that鈥檚 mental health, meals 鈥� meals is something that we really saw during the pandemic, tutoring, mentoring, technology or also those extracurriculars 鈥� sports, music 鈥� that really help develop a whole person. And then attendance really matters for learning.鈥�

Chang pointed to underlying causes of absenteeism, such as trauma, housing or food insecurity, lack of challenging or culturally responsive education, or lack of meaningful relationships with adults at school 鈥� especially given staff shortages, her presentation noted.

Sen. L枚ki Tobin, D-Anchorage, said she would like to see guidance from the Department of Education and Early Development on policy approaches so that the Legislature can support schools and districts and address what she called a 鈥渃learly highly impactful issue.鈥�

Tobin noted that the presentation showed that culturally relevant education is among the solutions to chronic absenteeism. She said she is looking at tribal compacting and ways of decolonizing education in the state as potential ways to address the different ways of learning and knowing in Alaska鈥檚 communities.

鈥淪ometimes our students are absent because they鈥檙e hunting or they鈥檙e fishing, or they鈥檙e spending time with their grandparent, or they may be skin sewing with an elder. And sometimes the way that we catalog learning within a Western construct, may not necessarily fit our state,鈥� she said.

Tobin said that she was caught off guard by how much absenteeism can affect reading outcomes, a metric that legislators aimed to improve when they passed the in 2022.

鈥淭he Alaska Reads Act was so important to me when it comes to creating that statewide understanding that every child has a right to learn to read. That right also means that you have to get to school,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 just set policy and forget it.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alaska Beacon maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Andrew Kitchenman for questions: info@alaskabeacon.com. Follow Alaska Beacon on and .

When I was growing up, going to school was not optional. Unless I had a fever and couldn鈥檛 get out of bed, I went 鈥� no 鈥淧rice Is Right鈥� on the couch for me. Schools made a big deal out of showing up, even giving away free bikes for perfect attendance.

But the data is clear now: parents are more permissive with their children鈥檚 attendance. And that hurts kids.

The Indiana Department of Education shocked many when it recently released showing that about 40% of Hoosier students missed 10 or more school days last year, and nearly one in five were absent for at least 18 days.

The chronic absentee rate in the 2018-19 school year was just 11.2%. But it rose to 18.5% in 2020-21 鈥� the first year after the pandemic 鈥� and topped out at 21.1% in the 2021-22 school year, according to state data.

The 2022-23 data indicates that 19.3% of students were chronically absent from school.

To put those percentages into raw numbers, roughly 221,000 Hoosier students were considered chronically absent during the last academic year.

More than 400,000 students missed at least 10 days of school 鈥� which, per Indiana statute 鈥� made them 鈥渉abitually absent.鈥�

And it鈥檚 not just in Indiana. The national chronic absenteeism rate has skyrocketed since the pandemic, from 16% in 2019 to . This is the highest rate since the U.S. Department of Education released its first national measurement of chronic absenteeism in 2016.

Reasons

So, the question is 鈥榳hy?鈥�

There are always barriers, especially for children in poverty. Transportation is one area that is increasingly problematic, as bus driver shortages mean last-minute cancellations and parents with no backups.

But there is a clear correlation to the pandemic, when kids were sent home for much of the school year in 2020. At the time, it was the right call. We have lots of hindsight now, but back then, COVID-19 was a novel virus that no one had experience with, and officials did the best they could with limited and changing information.

Schools quickly set up remote instruction and students, parents and educators muddled through.

But somehow, parents and students took away from that pandemic that it鈥檚 not a big deal for their kids to miss school. They email; they receive assignments and send them back. Even snow days are now e-learning.

Technology is a supplement that should be used sparingly. Being in the classroom has a direct correlation to success.

A White House release last month said research shows that school absences take a  on  and . Beyond test scores, irregular attendance can be a , which has been linked to , , and increased involvement in the .

What鈥檚 next

It鈥檚 clear schools need to do more to encourage attendance, starting with direct outreach to parents.

One suggestion from the U.S. Department of Education is 鈥渘udging鈥� 鈥� a type of communication technique that could include 鈥渟ending families a periodic postcard with student attendance records and/or encouragement to strive for consistent attendance to reduce absenteeism, or sending weekly updates on missed assignments or absences.鈥�

I do think maybe sometimes parents don鈥檛 track the absences in their mind and could be surprised by the high number when confronted with it. Anecdotally, I know parents more often now take children out of school for vacations more than in the past. They should strive to do that as a last resort. My daughter had plenty of days off for us to plan family fun.

Education officials should delve into whether transportation shortages are causing some of these absences and make recommendations for lawmakers for the 2024 session. I think the state could also incentivize attendance with scholarships or grants. Everything should be on the table, even if it costs money.

Unfortunately, police and prosecutors also have a role to play. I couldn鈥檛 find data on whether law enforcement is focusing more or less on truancy, but there are laws regarding parental responsibility and they should be enforced.

School resource officers that already exist in many schools could be a place to start interacting with parents about attendance.

And all this should happen fast 鈥� before the learning losses compound even more.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com. Follow Indiana Capital Chronicle on and .

Kentucky鈥檚 new School Report Card shows the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic on student learning.

Interim Education Commissioner Robin Fields Kinney told reporters Tuesday that 鈥渁 multi-year recovery period鈥� will likely be needed 鈥渂efore school performance really gets back鈥� to pre-pandemic levels.

Kinney and other state education officials briefed reporters on newly released assessment and education data from 2022-23. A wide range of metrics was reported for every public school 鈥� from math and reading performance to teacher demographics. The information is publicly available in a color-coded dashboard at .

Kinney said the data reveals a worrisome increase in student absenteeism.

The rate of student absences is up by two-thirds from 2018-19, the last academic year before COVID-19 disrupted traditional attendance record keeping.

In the 2018-19 academic year, 119,581 students were considered chronically absent, or 17.8% of Kentucky students.

In the 2022-23 academic year, 198,524 students 鈥� or 29.8% 鈥� qualified as chronically absent.

Kinney attributed the increased absences not just to pandemic disruptions but also to challenges created when tornadoes hit Western Kentucky in 2021 and floods devastated Eastern Kentucky in 2022, as well as to 鈥渆motional trauma and stress鈥� among young people.

The Kentucky Department of Education defines chronic absenteeism as attending 90% or less of the time a student should spend in class.

鈥淓very child deserves the opportunity for consistent attendance and a chance to thrive in the classroom. It is crucial that we work together and find solutions to combat chronic absenteeism,鈥� Kinney said.

Kinney, who recently began serving as the , said the state 鈥渕ust not underestimate鈥� the coronavirus鈥檚 impact on student learning. When the pandemic , schools closed and switched to remote and virtual learning to prevent spread of the virus.

鈥淲e know that changes in the way instruction was delivered from 2020 to 2022 had an impact on student learning, despite the tremendous efforts of Kentucky educators and parents to remediate those impacts,鈥� Kinney said.

Learning gaps

Kentucky has 1,484 schools. According to the data, 28 schools were classified as needing Comprehensive Support and Improvement  and 224 needed Targeted Support and Improvement. None were identified as needing Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI).

In 2022, there were 401 TSI schools, but two closed, leaving 399 TSI schools. . This year, 185 exited TSI status. Ten schools formerly CSI are now TSI schools.

Among high school students, the overall score for all students was 63.0. For African Americans it was 45.5 and for students with disabilities it was 40.4.

The percentage of students scoring proficient or distinguished in math and reading was double among those who come from homes that are more economically secure compared with their economically disadvantaged peers.

The numbers, which were released less than a week away from voters deciding Kentucky鈥檚 next governor and other statewide offices and ahead of the General Assembly鈥檚 2024 legislative session, will be reviewed by lawmakers on the Interim Joint Committee on Education in Frankfort Wednesday morning. The data is typically released annually in the fall, months after students take assessments in the spring.

Kinney said the Department of Education will continue to assist school districts and will continue work with the General Assembly to improve literacy attainment for the state鈥檚 youngest students and early learners.

Assessment results

While student performance still has not rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, Kentucky elementary and middle schools did increase their reading and math performances in .High schools maintained their performances. Elementary, middle and high schools increased their performances in science, social studies and combined writing areas. Students completed assessments in spring 2023.

The state鈥檚 four-year graduation rate in 2022-23 was 91.4%. The five-year graduation rate was 92.5%.

For Kentucky students who took the ACT during the 2022-23 school year, the average composite score was 18.5, up 0.2 from the previous year.

Demographics in Kentucky schools

During the 2022-23 school year, a majority of Kentucky students were economically disadvantaged, 60.2%. Identifying such students depends on 鈥渂eing program or income eligible for free or reduced-priced meals.鈥� In the same school year, 39.8% of students were non-economically disadvantaged.

According to data from the previous school year, , 59.9% of students were economically disadvantaged.

Additionally, Kentucky schools are slightly more diverse when comparing current and last year鈥檚 data. During 2022-23, a majority of Kentucky students are white, 72.7%, down 0.8% from the previous year. Also in the same school year, 10.8% of Kentucky students are African American, 8.5% are Hispanic or Latino, and 7.2% identify as another demographic.

A majority of faculty in Kentucky schools continue to be women, 77.2%, and white, 94.7%.

Educational opportunities

Fewer students participated in Career and Technical Education programs in the 2022-23 school year than the previous school year. In 2022-23, the participation rate was 18%, down 6.4%.

About 0.1% more students were identified as Gifted and Talented in the most recent school year for a total of 13.8%. Advanced coursework completion also slightly increased by 0.3%, for a total of 93.9%.

For the 2022-23 school year, Kentucky鈥檚 attendance rate was 91.9%, but about 34% of all Kentucky students were identified as having chronic absenteeism, or being present 90% or less of full-time equivalency.

School safety

The data released Tuesday showed that 13.5% of students have had behavior events reported to the state. Additionally, the percentage of students who received an out-of-school suspension last year was 5.9% and the percentage of students who had an in-school removal was 7.5%.

Earlier this year, the Republican-led General Assembly approved legislation to expand in Kentucky classrooms before situations escalate into safety concerns. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who is seeking reelection, signed the bill into law.

Jamie Lucke contributed to this report.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on and .

Oregon students appear to be making some progress, but state and local education leaders are concerned about high absentee rates amid new data showing a sharp decline in regular school attendance among Oregon students since the pandemic.

The number of Oregon kids regularly attending school last year dropped by nearly 20 percentage points from pre-pandemic levels, according to new data from the Oregon Department of Education. About 62% of Oregon students attended 90% or more of school days during the 2022-23 school year and nearly 40%, on average, missed at least 16 days out of 160 or more days. During the 2018-19 school year, about 80% of students attended class at least 90% of the year. Students who attend at least 90% of the time are considered to have regular attendance.

Absenteeism rates are highest in kindergarten, early elementary grades and among high school seniors, according to state data and the districts. Educators say absences in the younger grades can have the most impact. shows students who are chronically absent in preschool, kindergarten and first grade are much less likely to read at grade level by third grade, making them four times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers.

The data was released as part of the Oregon Department of Education鈥檚 At-A-Glance Profiles of districts, which combine state assessment test scores with other district and school health measures, such as the number of experienced teachers, school mental health staff and librarians in buildings, and the number of high school freshman who are on track to graduate in four years.

The latest profiles show that steep declines in student comprehension in core subjects during the pandemic are , as well as the number of students on track to graduate in four years. It also shows that schools are hiring more teachers and behavioral health staff to help with the recovery. But the most unmovable setback since COVID hit seems to be regular school attendance, especially for kids in the earliest grades

鈥淲e know that students aren鈥檛 benefiting from instruction when they are not in the classroom, so this is a serious concern for Oregon鈥檚 educators,鈥� officials at the Oregon Department of Education said in a news release. Agency officials and district leaders have different hypotheses as to why regular attendance has declined so sharply.

鈥楩inancial burdens鈥�

Charlene Williams, director of the Oregon鈥檚 state education agency, said she鈥檚 hearing from districts that the rise in chronic absenteeism is due in part to students missing school days if they or a family member get COVID, as well as the loss of pandemic-era financial and housing support for families.

鈥淭hose financial burdens are landing back in the laps of some of our families, and they are struggling once again in some cases with food insecurity and finding stable housing and those kinds of things,鈥� Williams said in a news conference prior to the data release.

The Capital Chronicle reached out to dozens of superintendents across the state, who echoed a common theme 鈥� the pandemic changed families鈥� attitudes about compulsory school attendance.

Tom Rogozinski, superintendent in the Warrenton Hammond School District on Oregon鈥檚 northwest coast, said the increase in absenteeism stems in part from students or family members getting COVID. But he said the biggest change is a shift in how families and students perceive the responsibility of attending school regularly.

鈥淩eentry to school every day, five days a week, has been an adjustment for kids and families and for whatever reason it feels like that old given 鈥� that we鈥檙e going to school everyday 鈥� is not as fully entrenched,鈥� he said.

More than one-third of students in kindergarten, first grade and second grade in the district were chronically absent last year, mirroring statewide absenteeism rates.

Rogozinski said about 95% of absences in his district are excused. Big districts have teams that visit homes to increase attendance but Warrenton Hammond is a small district. Still, he said teachers and principals visit homes when a student has missed a significant chunk of school time to try to get them back to class.

鈥淭here used to be more force with truancy laws to render a fine or a judgment,鈥� Rogozinski said, noting that students no longer face those kinds of consequences.

Several superintendents bemoaned the Legislature鈥檚 decision in 2021 to end laws allowing districts to fine parents, or to have judges and truancy courts mandate students attend school, if they鈥檇 missed a significant number of days.

George Mendoza, superintendent in the La Grande School District in eastern Oregon said in an email that using judges and fines was not 鈥渁 top tactic or strategy鈥� for getting kids to school but that without it, 鈥渋t does erode our highest levels of accountability.鈥�

During the latest legislative session, an 18-member taskforce was created to submit by September 2024 alternative ideas for boosting student attendance statewide.

Rebuilding relationships

In Hermiston, Superintendent Trisha Mooney said teachers and coaches in her district are trying to rebuild relationships and connections with kids that remote learning impaired.

鈥淪ome kids will show up for one thing 鈥� for band, a sport, a club 鈥� that gets them coming to school. That鈥檚 the connector that gets them building those habits,鈥� she said. 鈥淜ids have to learn that it鈥檚 important to be part of something bigger than you, and that others are relying on you to show up. That other people are counting on you.鈥�

Administrators from the Central School District in Independence, the Beaverton School District and Willamina School District in Yamhill County said boosting regular attendance was a top priority this school year.

Those districts and others are using resources linked to an initiative called Every Day Matters, spearheaded by the state department of education and funded with $6 million by the Legislature in 2016, to boost attendance. The initiative involves officials meeting with students and families to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism. Funding was paused at the onset of the pandemic but resumed this year. Districts can use the money to hire community-school liaisons, advocates and counselors to work more closely with students and families to get kids back in class.

In the Bethel School District in Eugene, superintendent Kraig Sproles said part of its strategy to boost attendance has been hiring more mental health professionals.

鈥淲e have seen an increase in the number of students seeking support for issues related to anxiety and depression. We know that mental health issues not only impact student learning, but also can impact school attendance. While we have always had students who struggle with mental health, the number and severity of the issues have greatly increased,鈥� he said in an email.

In the past, mostly older students suffered anxiety and depression but he said district officials are now seeing younger students also struggle.

Graduation rates

The percentage of ninth graders on track to graduate within four years is nearing pre-pandemic levels. Statewide, about 84% of the class of 2026 is headed towards graduation.

Several districts, including Bend-La Pine, Medford, Springfield, South Umpqua and Lebanon, made significant gains in ninth grade on-track performance. Dan Farley, assistant superintendent of the education department鈥檚 research and data accountability office, said school administrators in those districts created teams of counselors and teachers to review student data and target gaps in credit attainment and attendance to get students on track.

Some schools also hired 鈥渃ultural liaisons鈥� who speak other languages than English to work with students and their families to make sure they knew about credit and graduation requirements. Some districts also offered more classes and programs to count toward graduation requirements, as well as expanded after-school tutoring and summer school options.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e either expanding, adding or shifting to give students different and additional opportunities to learn,鈥� Farley said.

About 56% of Oregon鈥檚 class of 2021 enrolled in college within 16 months of graduating, down from 63% before the pandemic. That follows a national trend: Nationwide, about 62% of 2021 high school graduates enrolled in college, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. During the last decade, undergraduate enrollment in colleges nationwide has declined 15%.

Williams, the new education director, said the Oregon鈥檚 Higher Education Coordinating Commission has found that tighter budgets and soaring prices in recent years and the high costs of tuition has affected college enrollment rates.

鈥淪tudents just really wanted to put college on pause, you know, while they could figure out their lives,鈥� Williams said.

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oregon Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lynne Terry for questions: info@oregoncapitalchronicle.com. Follow Oregon Capital Chronicle on and .