Chronic absenteeism rates in New Jersey schools are declining after student absences spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The rate of chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 10% or more of the school year, dropped to 14.9% of students during the 2023-24 school year after reaching 18.1% two years earlier.

During 2018-19, the last full year of in-person learning before the pandemic, 10.6% of students were chronically absent.

Absence rates last year were higher for students belonging to marginalized groups, such as students who are Black, Hispanic, nonbinary, economically disadvantaged, multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Homeless students had the highest rate of chronic absenteeism at 40.9%, followed by students in foster care at 27.4%.

“When students are in school there’s a direct and positive impact on academics,” Jessica Merville, director of the office of performance management in the New Jersey Department of Education, said.

Search for your school

This reporting is made possible [in part] by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.