Attendance has stayed flat at 79% since the pandemic, and graduation rates are slipping

What happened

The district's 2026-2029 Academic and Financial Plan reports that average daily attendance dropped from 85.8% before the pandemic to 79% and has stayed flat there for the last three school years. The plan also reports that graduation rates, after a pandemic-era increase tied to temporarily relaxed exam requirements, have declined incrementally over the last three school years, which the plan directly connects to chronic absenteeism.

Why it matters to families

Consistent school attendance is one of the strongest predictors of whether a student succeeds academically and graduates on time. A district-wide attendance rate that has been stuck roughly seven points below pre-pandemic levels for three straight years, alongside falling graduation rates, points to a sustained problem rather than a one-year dip, and affects students across every RCSD school.

The evidence

The state monitor's 2026-2029 Academic and Financial Plan (finalized June 18, 2026) states that average daily attendance was 85.8% before the pandemic, fell to 77.6% in 2021-22, and 'during the last three years the average daily attendance has remained flat at 79%.' The same plan states that after pandemic-era exam-requirement waivers temporarily raised graduation rates, 'during the last three school years, graduation rates have declined incrementally,' a decrease it says is 'directly connected to chronic absenteeism.'

The source