DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – It is not often a school district applauds a school building where 83.1% of the students were classified as “chronically absent,” or those missed 10 percent or more of possible days, or about 18 absences a school year.

But that happened to Detroit Pershing High School, which was recognized by the district Oct. 8 as one of the most improved buildings in regards to student attendance. The percent of chronically absent students dropped from 91.2% the previous year.

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In 2023-24, Detroit Public Schools Community District had nearly two out of every three students classified as chronically absent. The district had 34,102 students labeled chronically absent last year out of 51,853 (65.8%) That was a slight improvement over the 66.1% rate of chronically absent students in 2022-23.

The state average was 29.5%.

Detroit has traditionally struggled getting its students to attend classes. The percentage of students who were chronically absent from the 2014-15 school year to before the pandemic hit in 2018-19 ranged from as low as 54.8% in 2015-16 to as high as 70.3% in 2017-18.

Then after the pandemic, the percent of students chronically absent shot up to 76.7% in 2021-22 and has dropped two years in a row.

The district has implemented several strategies to improve its attendance.

After a student gets the first unexcused absent, an attendance agent will review that student’s attendance history. If that student was chronically absent the previous year, that student will go on a watchlist. By the third absence, the district will have a staff member meet weekly with the student and an attendance agent may conduct a home visit. After nine absences, the parents are required to meet with school district administrators.

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The district has also implemented the Parent Teacher Home Project which is modeled after a program in Sacramento, California. The program involves teachers visit students at their homes. Last year, the district had 5,567 home visits conducted by teachers.