In Anchorage, Alaska, families are enjoying ski trips and extended vacations, assuming that their children can keep up with school work online. On the other hand, in a working-class community in Michigan, school administrators are trying various strategies, such as pajama days, to improve student attendance. Across the nation, students struggling with heightened anxiety are choosing to stay home rather than face the challenges of the classroom.

In the four years since the pandemic forced school closures, the American education system has been grappling with various issues, from learning loss to enrollment and student behavior. However, one of the most persistent problems has been the significant increase in student absenteeism, cutting across all demographics and persisting long after schools reopened.

Data shows that the rate of chronic absenteeism among public school students increased nationally to 26 percent last year, up from 15 percent before the pandemic. This rise in chronic absence has affected districts of all sizes, income levels, and racial compositions. Wealthier areas have seen rates of chronic absenteeism nearly double, while poor communities are facing an even more significant crisis, with around 32 percent of students being chronically absent.

The trends suggest a fundamental shift in American childhood and school culture, with the habit of daily school attendance becoming more fragile. The closure of schools in 2020 disrupted the deeply ingrained routine of waking up, catching the bus, and attending classes, leading to long-lasting consequences. The impact of student absenteeism is now considered a significant hindrance to the nation’s recovery from pandemic-related learning losses.

Experts point out that absenteeism is not only a symptom of various challenges brought about by the pandemic but also a contributing factor. Students who fall behind academically may be less motivated to attend school, but missing classes only exacerbates their academic struggles. Additionally, anxiety-ridden students may avoid school altogether, but this avoidance can intensify their anxiety over time.

Schools have also witnessed a rise in discipline problems since the pandemic, underscoring the interconnectedness of attendance and behavioral issues. The human stress response, characterized by fight or flight reactions, is now playing out on a larger scale in schools, impacting student behavior and academic performance.

Efforts to address chronic absenteeism include establishing strong relationships between students and adults at school, implementing interventions to target root causes of absenteeism, and utilizing programs like home visits to support families in overcoming barriers to school attendance. Despite these strategies, the challenge of reducing student absenteeism remains slow and arduous work for school districts across the country.

As schools continue to grapple with the long-term effects of the pandemic on student attendance, the question arises: have the cultural shifts experienced during the pandemic become permanent? In workplaces, the hybrid office culture has emerged as a lasting change, reflecting broader societal shifts that may also impact the future of education and student attendance.