Why is Attendance Important?
Why Attendance is Important
Students who miss 18 or more days in a school year - just 10% - are considered chronically absent and this can hurt their academic success and put them at-risk of dropping out. Students who attend school regularly are more likely than students who are chronically absent to:
Graduate and go on to college
- Score higher on standardized tests
- Learn to read well by the critical 3rd grade milestone
- Be more engaged in school, feel better about themselves and are less likely to be depressed
- Build good habits for school and life (How many employers will tolerate a worker who misses 10 percent of work days?)
- Break the cycle of poverty. If education is the escalator out of poverty, attendance is the engine that keeps the escalator running.
For more research and resources on school attendance, go to www.attendanceworks.org.
It's the Law
In the state of Nebraska any child who will reach 6 years of age prior to January 1st of the then current school year and has not reached 18 years of age must attend school on a regular basis.
For more information see the Nebraska State Compulsory Attendance Statute or the Scottsbluff Public Schools Board Policy 503.01 Compusory Attendance.