Georgia lawmakers and statewide educational leaders have committed to addressing chronic absenteeism with new laws and the state’s participation in the national 50% Challenge – an initiative to reduce chronic absenteeism by half over five years. Newly released data shows that their efforts are paying off. According to information from the Superintendent of Schools office, Georgia's public schools again declined during the 2025-2026 school year, reaching a new post-pandemic low and continuing a five-year trend of improvement.
According to the latest information, the rate of chronic absenteeism – which reflects the percentage of students absent for 10 percent or more of enrolled days – dropped to 17.7 percent during the 2025-2026 school year. This is down from 19.5 percent the year before and from a peak of 23.9 percent in 2021-2022.
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