Positive attendance is essential to student achievement and graduation, and we are committed to dedicating our resources and attention to reducing chronic absenteeism rates with a focus starting as early as Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten.

A student is chronically absent when they have missed 10% or more of school for any reason including excused and unexcused absences.  Chronic absenteeism is a proven indicator of academic trouble and dropout rates.

The impact of chronic absences hits students in low-income communities particularly hard if they do not have the resources to make up for lost time in the classroom and are more likely to face systemic barriers to getting to school. 

Attendance gaps among groups of students often turn into achievement gaps that undermine student success.  Chronic absence particularly exacerbates the achievement gap that separates students in low-income communities from their peers, since students from low-income communities are both more likely to be chronically absent and more likely to be affected academically by missing school.

All students, even those who show up regularly, are affected by chronic absence because teachers must spend time reviewing for students who missed lessons.

Chronic absenteeism can be significantly reduced when schools, families and communities work together to monitor and promote good attendance and address hurdles that keep children from getting to school.  The Morongo Unified School District is committed to focusing on reducing chronic absenteeism, to give all children an equitable opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive academically, emotionally and socially.