Report reveals one-third of NYC public school students were chronically absent during the last school year.
In the evolving conversation surrounding pandemic recovery, New York City faces an enduring challenge: a significant school attendance crisis. According to newly released data from the Mayor’s Management Report, nearly one-third of public school students were classified as chronically absent during the last academic year. This designation applies to those who missed at least 10% of school days, illustrating a troubling continuation of absenteeism trends in the city.
While this figure marks a slight improvement from the mid-30s absenteeism percentages observed in prior years, it remains far from the outcomes anticipated following the tumultuous closures of educational institutions during the pandemic. For context, chronic absenteeism reached a worrying peak of 41% in the 2021-22 school year. In the decade preceding the pandemic, roughly one-quarter of students annually fell into this category, reflecting the long-standing issues within the city’s educational landscape.
Experts, including David Bloomfield, an education law and policy professor at Brooklyn College, have expressed concerns about the incremental nature of progress, emphasizing that the current statistics may appear almost inconsequential. The persistent high rate of absenteeism in New York mirrors trends noted nationwide, suggesting a potential shift in perceptions among families regarding the significance of regular school attendance.
City officials have indicated that multiple strategies have been employed to address this ongoing issue, including extensive outreach campaigns involving community groups and daily follow-ups with students and their families. Now in her first year leading the city’s school system, Chancellor Melissa Aviles-Ramos is implementing initiatives designed to engage families, particularly those facing challenges in ensuring their children attend school. Her approach focuses on identifying barriers rather than assigning blame, aiming to understand the specific obstacles preventing children from participating in their education.
Looking ahead, the election landscape raises questions about future leadership and policy direction in education. With Mayor Adams’s reelection campaign currently polling in single digits, the onus may fall on his successors to enhance efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism back to pre-pandemic levels.
Prominent candidates for the upcoming mayoral race, such as the Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani, have begun to outline their visions for addressing educational disparities. Mamdani has shown support for initiatives that build supportive relationships between students and caring adults, particularly for those residing in homeless shelters—an environment where absenteeism rates are notably higher. Meanwhile, second-polling independent candidate Andrew Cuomo proposes transforming schools with high absenteeism rates into “community schools” with expanded support services.
The Mayor’s Management Report serves as an early assessment of absenteeism trends while a more comprehensive analysis, which will delve deeper into attendance patterns categorized by race, disability, poverty, and homelessness, is anticipated in the coming months. As Bloomfield emphasized, consistent school attendance is crucial not only for academic achievement but also for fostering essential life skills that contribute to future workforce readiness.
The ongoing challenge of chronic absenteeism represents a critical juncture for New York City’s education system, where concerted efforts and innovative strategies will be necessary to engage students and reinforce the value of consistent school attendance.
