Senate committee looking at chronic absenteeism gets to work

Prior to the pandemic, chronic absenteeism percentages in Georgia schools hovered around 12 percent, and some state officials believe the effects of the pandemic continue to have a negative impact on schools as a result of ongoing attendance issues.

Georgia’s current chronic absenteeism rate is 20.7 percent. And while this is the 17th-best rate in the nation, state officials are aiming for continued improvement. “Chronic absenteeism” refers to the number of students missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason, divided by the number of students enrolled.