EVERY DAY COUNTS
Every Day Counts is a Spark SF Public Schools initiative designed to channel community and philanthropic dollars to increase students’ sense of belonging and reduce chronic absenteeism at SFUSD, thereby improving the chance that all SFUSD students succeed at school and beyond.
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Research shows that chronic absenteeism is directly linked to academic failure and socio-economic marginalization, depriving students of the set of skills they need to acquire in order to thrive in the work force and life. Data also indicates that chronic absenteeism is among the strongest predictors of dropping out of high school. The bottom line is, in order to learn, students need to attend school.
In the 2023-2024 school year, 23% of SFUSD students were chronically absent — that’s nearly one in four students at risk of falling behind in their learning.
Our most vulnerable and historically underserved populations are disproportionately affected: 51% of Pacific Islander and African American students, as well as 43% of foster youth, were chronically absent in 2023-2024.
Building on recent progress in improving student attendance, SFUSD has set an ambitious new goal: to reduce chronic absenteeism from 23% in June 2024 to 20% by June 2025. This targeted effort aims to further enhance student engagement and ensure more consistent access to learning opportunities.
Learn about chronic absenteeism and SFUSD’s recent progress in increasing students’ sense of belonging
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Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% of the school year, or 18 days out of a 180 day school year, for any reason (excused, unexcused and suspension). Studies show that students of all backgrounds who are absent in any given year perform less well on assessments of math, science, and literacy through the end of the year. Data from Rhode Island and New York City, among other locales, show that at least three-fourths of the students who become involved with the juvenile justice system have histories of chronic absenteeism. The effects of chronic absenteeism extend far beyond the classroom: long-term consequences include lower lifetime earnings and poorer health outcomes.
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Following remote learning during the pandemic, the sense of belonging to schools has significantly decreased and the mindset on the importance of attendance has shifted. SFUSD has inconsistent attendance data quality and school sites lack clarity about what to do to address chronic absenteeism. Furthermore there is a decrease in resources and infrastructure at SFUSD to efficiently address attendance issues.
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In 2022, SFUSD identified chronic absenteeism as a priority to address in the pursuit of delivering excellence and equity to all students. SFUSD set the goal to reduce chronic absenteeism from 29% in June 2022 to 24% in June 2024.
SFUSD actively engaged community, families, students in a concerted effort to reduce chronic absenteeism and prioritized services to support students in coming to school, and ensuring they feel safe and a sense of belonging in school.
Within the first year, progress was made and SFUSD exceeded its goal by 1%: its chronic absenteeism rate declined from 29% in June 2023 to 23% in June 2024.
“One of the most significant challenges we are facing right now in schools is absenteeism (...) because the basic truth is that kids can’t learn if they are not in school.”