Cur’ra McCoy is one of millions of students who have missed weeks of school over the past few years. The Baltimore teen often slept in or played on her phone instead, spending most of her time doing very little. McCoy attributes her absences to boredom, which led to poor performance in some classes and an increasing dislike for school.

“When I don’t do nothing, I don’t feel like doing nothing at all,” the 18-year-old said. “So I stopped trying.”

Chronic absenteeism – when students miss at least 10% of the school year – has become an epidemic in America’s schools. While educators and advocates hoped attendance would improve after the pandemic's instability, it has often become more pervasive and difficult to address. Between 2018 and 2023, the chronic absenteeism rate nearly doubled, rising from 15% to 26%.

The issue, which has led to decreased performance even among students with regular attendance, emerged as one of the most urgent challenges in the recent school year. Described by the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank, as "the biggest problem facing schools right now," it's not confined to low-income students; individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds are increasingly missing class.

Why has this problem escalated to such a degree? The reasons are typically intricate and multifaceted. Here are five primary explanations for the epidemic levels of chronic absenteeism.

Children are experiencing boredom and disconnection.

McCoy, the Baltimore teen, once had a love for math in her younger years, appreciating its simplicity and universal language.

However, as she grew older, she admits to losing motivation. The instruction became monotonous, draining her enthusiasm and drive to excel. By eighth grade, she had concluded that math was no longer her forte. Upon entering high school, her academic performance suffered, leading to failing grades in some subjects.

“We barely had any activities,” McCoy remarked, noting that she thrives with personalized support. “When I started struggling with math, I simply stopped attending.”

In an April publication of a nationally representative poll, nearly two-thirds of teens confessed to finding school boring. Only two in five of the roughly 1,000 respondents expressed enjoyment in attending school, while close to a third considered it a waste of time. Such disengagement often results in absenteeism. Moreover, some of the strategies employed by schools to address absenteeism, such as truancy fines, can exacerbate rather than resolve the disengagement issue.



During her junior year, McCoy began receiving tutoring and mentorship from Concentric Educational Solutions, a company that also made occasional home visits to support her. With this assistance, her attendance and grades started to improve. McCoy valued the personalized attention from her tutors, particularly from a mentor named Raiana Davis. Davis would even come to pick her up on days when she had overslept, which McCoy credits with positively impacting her energy and motivation.

Earlier this month, McCoy graduated, harboring aspirations of becoming an engineer. She intends to either enroll in college or pursue her career path through the Navy.

They are grappling with mental health challenges.

Many children opt out of attending school due to mental health struggles. These challenges, particularly prevalent among adolescents, have intensified in recent years, with over 4 in 10 teens in 2021 reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. In Los Angeles, one analysis found that anxiety and depression were the primary health-related reasons for school absences.

School avoidance, where children either refuse to attend school or find it challenging to remain there for the entire day, is on the rise. ODAY US NEWS 24 has highlighted how this type of refusal has become more pronounced since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

One student, Anna, described experiencing heart palpitations and body shakes as she approached her high school campus in the mornings. Anna clarified to ODAY US NEWS 24 that it wasn't a matter of not wanting to go to school but rather feeling unable to do so. "It’s scary because it’s not voluntary at all," said Anna, who requested to be identified only by her first name due to the stigmas associated with mental illness. "It’s just kind of happening to you.

They're facing bullying.

Bullying, a pervasive issue in many schools, leads to students avoiding school as well. According to a poll conducted by EdChoice in April, only a third of teens felt that their school adequately addressed bullying. Additional research indicates that students who experience bullying are more likely to be absent from class.

In a recent segment on NPR's Morning Edition, Neomi, a sophomore from Colorado, was featured. Neomi, who has been chronically absent, became emotional when asked about the reason for her absences. Her mother explained that she had been bullied and ridiculed after a breakup, with her peers laughing and gossiping behind her back. "I don't have friends," Neomi expressed. "I don't have any people."

When students lack meaningful connections with adults, they are more likely to miss school. Surveys have revealed that fewer than a quarter of teens and preteens believe that many or all of their teachers make an effort to understand their lives outside of school.



They're uncertain about the rules.

During the pandemic, families received instructions to keep children home from school at the slightest sign of illness. As society's understanding of COVID-19 improved, the rules evolved. However, the continuously changing protocols fueled confusion regarding what actions to take when a child exhibited symptoms like sniffles or headaches.

Hedy Chang, founder and executive director of Attendance Works, notes that this confusion persists among parents. "We were quite stringent about quarantining and staying home, and I still think there's a lot of uncertainty," she remarked. "At the same time, we encouraged people, 'If you're concerned about being unwell, switch to online learning... That's just as effective as in-person learning.'"

According to Chang, these messages have had "lasting effects," leading to many schools no longer offering a virtual option for sick days.

TODAY US NEWS 24 conducted regular visits to a pair of elementary schools in Virginia last year, aiming to understand, among other issues, why chronic absenteeism persisted. One school provided thermometers to parents to verify if children who claimed to feel unwell were genuinely too sick to attend class. Additionally, it hosted informative coffee hours and published a checklist on its homepage to assist families in determining the appropriate course of action when a child displayed symptoms.

The second school identified elevated absenteeism rates on Mondays – a day when many parents had time off from work. School officials speculated that parents might be keeping their children home on Mondays to maximize family time, as it might be the only day available for them to spend together. This discovery hinted at another consequence of the pandemic: the perception among certain families that school attendance is discretionary.

During quarantines and closures, children transitioned to remote learning on computers at home. Consequently, daily in-person attendance became less imperative for certain parents. This mindset manifests in various ways among different families. For instance, a single mother who relies on her high schooler to care for her 2-year-old while she is at work may request the teen to skip school. Conversely, an affluent family seeking to avoid crowds might choose to schedule a two-week vacation during school days.

"Whatever your chronic absenteeism level was pre-pandemic, it tended to double," remarked Chang, indicating the widespread impact of the issue across income levels.

As absences have increased across all demographics, they have also accentuated existing disparities, according to Chang. Families with higher incomes are more likely than those with lower incomes to afford resources such as summer test preparation and tutoring to compensate for lost instructional time.


They're dealing with family, safety, or transportation obstacles.

Some children are staying away from school due to family hardships or concerns about campus safety. Housing instability and poverty persist in disrupting the routines of low-income students.

According to Chang, many schools have implemented stricter entrance policies due to concerns about active shooters and other hazards. While these policies are well-intentioned, they have, in some instances, created rifts between families and educators.

Logistical challenges pose another barrier. TODAY US NEWS 24 accompanied Concentric on home visits in Baltimore this spring. The company's staff visits the homes of families whose children have been identified by their schools as chronically absent. During one visit, Lynetric Brightful arrived just as the Concentric van pulled up. The engagement specialist and driver noted that her teenage son had been absent from school. "What resources can we assist you in obtaining?" he inquired.

Brightful explained that she holds two jobs and must leave early, before her son wakes up. Ensuring that he arrives at school by the 7:45 a.m. start time is challenging, especially since he must take several city buses and navigate through dangerous neighborhoods often before sunrise. Following her husband's recent passing, she has no one else to rely on for assistance. She had previously lost another job because she stayed home in the mornings to drive her child to school.

Transportation options for schools are restricted in Baltimore, a challenge that is increasingly affecting districts across the country. Nationally, there has been a decline in school bus ridership, partly due to staff shortages, service alterations, and delays.

Brightful became emotional when Johnson assured her that his organization would endeavor to offer assistance. She had been in dire need of a solution, feeling like no one was willing to lend a hand. Without improved transportation options, she was concerned that her son would continue to miss school.