While under the state average for chronic absenteeism, both Oxford and Lafayette County schools are working toward lowering the percentage of students missing more than two months of school each month back to pre-Covid levels.

Last week, State Auditor Shad White released a Chronic Absenteeism Report that showed that, overall, Mississippi’s chronic absenteeism rate surged since the pandemic; however, Oxford and Lafayette report seeing some improvement.

In 2019, Mississippi compared favorably to its border states with a 14% chronic absentee rate. But by 2023, Mississippi outpaced its border states with a 24.7% chronic absentee rate, a 76.4% increase.

A review of academic literature shows chronically absent students have an increased chance of dropping out of school, which leads to a higher likelihood of getting arrested or relying on social services later in life. Analysts estimate that the number of students who were chronically absent before dropping out of school in AY 2023 alone will cost the Mississippi economy $550 million over time.

The latest figures in the Mississippi Department of Education’s report on chronic absenteeism are from the 2022–23 school year. The MDE will release numbers from the last school year (2023–24) later in the fall.

During the 2022–23 school year, Oxford had 1,176 chronically absent students, which is 23.6% of the district’s population.

Superintendent Bradley Roberson said pre-Covid, chronic absenteeism was around 10%, which jumped to between 22% and 24% after Covid.

“Educating parents about the importance of school attendance will be a priority for the 2024–2025 school year,” Roberson said, adding that the daily average attendance rate has improved during the 2023–2024 school year.

This past school year, Oxford limited the number of parent notes a family could submit to excuse a student’s absence.

“We are awaiting the state’s chronic absenteeism report (for 2023–2024) to measure the impact of the policy change,” Roberson said.

The district is also establishing a committee of stakeholders to study chronic absenteeism. The committee will make procedural or policy recommendations regarding student attendance to the district administration and the school board.

The Lafayette County School District’s overall chronic absenteeism was slightly lower than Oxford’s during the 2022–2023 school year.

Out of the district’s 2,971 students, 652—or 22%—were chronically absent.

“By monitoring attendance data closely, we can intervene promptly to address any underlying issues that may be contributing to absenteeism,” said Tracie Riddle, communications director, who also provides support in the area of absenteeism for students and families. “We plan to engage with our students and their families to emphasize the importance of regular school attendance. We will help to create a supportive network around students, ensuring they have the resources and encouragement they need to attend school regularly.”

In the report released by White last week, his office made several recommendations for the state to consider to help lower absenteeism, including altering the Mississippi School Accountability Ratings to include attendance; passing laws that link driver’s license privileges to school attendance; and reorganizing and hiring more school attendance officers.

“We pump a ton of taxpayer money into our K-12 school system, but it does no good if the students’ tails are not in the seats,” White said in a press release. “Now is the time to address this before the problem gets worse.”

Percentage of students with chronic absenteeism in local schools:

Lafayette County School District

Elementary School 16.82%

Upper Elementary School 21.26%

Middle School 21.65%

High School 27.26%

Oxford School District

Central Elementary 15.25%

Middle School 18.08%

Intermediate School 64 350 18.29% Oxford School District Della Davidson Elementary 21.42%

Early Childhood Center 24.11%

Bramlett Elementary School 24.62%

High School 33.05%