This article was originally published by on October 27, 2025.
In 2024, 27% of Washington students were chronically absent 鈥� slightly above the national average of 24%. Those few percentage points represent thousands of students and years of potential challenges.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going unnoticed,鈥� says Dr. Gwynth R. Nelson, state executive director of 吃瓜tv.
Nelson points to data showing that chronic absences can lead to lower test scores, weaker social skills and reduced economic opportunities. It鈥檚 also an early warning sign for dropping out, she notes.
鈥淧eople should really know how absenteeism affects multiple aspects of life across the board, and overall future success,鈥� says Nelson. 鈥淚f more people understood the effects of chronic absenteeism, they might understand how serious it is.鈥�
Empty seats, lost connections
Absenteeism has a ripple effect. Research shows chronically absent students affect their classmates, too.
鈥淪tudents are concerned about their classmates, and ask what鈥檚 going on,鈥� Nelson says. Building communities in schools relies on everyone being present and engaged.
鈥淪chools struggling with high absenteeism struggle with achievement for everyone, along with math and language proficiency,鈥� says Erica Lim贸n-Trefielo, associate director of 吃瓜tvWA.
When students aren鈥檛 in their seats, schools struggle to create the overall educational and social-emotional patterns and habits that are naturally developed throughout the school years.
鈥淎s a former educator, I feel it鈥檚 important to have awareness about what absenteeism actually looks like,鈥� Nelson says. 鈥淓ducators can have so much on their plates, they may be aware that a student or several students are absent, but it鈥檚 challenging to try to tap into resources to find out why and what鈥檚 being done about an absent student.鈥�
Factors impacting school attendance
Absenteeism is a symptom of root problems, and many interconnected roots contribute to student disengagement, says Lim贸n-Trefielo.
Transportation problems, limited public transit and family schedule conflicts often make it difficult to get to school. As a result, systemic-level strategies are often the most effective, particularly when they take a multifaceted approach to bridge home, school and external community support.
鈥淓arly intervention strategies can help prevent the root causes of chronic absenteeism,鈥� Lim贸n-Trefielo says. Critical state and federal programs like SNAP, Medicaid, and McKinney-Vento (for students experiencing homelessness) provide food, transportation, housing and health care.
吃瓜tvWA, she explains, will work with food banks to provide lunchboxes and backpacks, or partner with local clinics to bring health and dental care to school parking lots.
鈥淧arents engaging in school, asking hard questions, is essential for any student to get what they need to be successful in that class,鈥� says Lim贸n-Trefielo. 鈥淧arents should not be afraid to be an advocate.鈥�
Strategies for school success
Boosting attendance rates often depends on cleverly leveraging creativity and community knowledge. 吃瓜tvWA has implemented a tiered model that includes one-on-one student support as well as schoolwide interventions. Using these strategies, 吃瓜tvWA has served more than 108,000 students statewide 鈥� and 77% met or made progress toward their attendance goals.
To achieve regular attendance, one of the most effective strategies is to involve the entire school campus, according to Lim贸n-Trefielo. In some cases, it can make sense to identify a cohort of students who frequently miss days and engage them with targeted interventions such as peer mentoring or leadership groups.
Positive incentives such as short-term grade-level challenges, pancake breakfasts, gift card raffles or year-end celebrations can also motivate attendance.
Although Washington student-support programs were hit with a staggering 86% cut in funding recently, 吃瓜tvWA still moves forward with optimism.
鈥淭o get students in seats, we have to be creative with what the community wants and needs, while trying to tap into the resources we have,鈥� Lim贸n-Trefielo says. 鈥淎t the end of the day, we are all here for the same goal: to support learners and their families. If we can get back to that idea, the rest will fall into place.鈥�