Why chronic absenteeism remains stubbornly high for Long Island schools

Chronic absenteeism in Long Island schools remained stubbornly high in 2024–25, despite efforts to get students back into the classroom following a surge in absences during the pandemic.

Islandwide, 17.3% of students in public schools were chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more class days during the school year compared to 17.6% the year prior, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. While that is lower than the nearly 20% absenteeism rate in the 2021–22 academic year, when all New York schools reopened for full in-person learning, it still exceeds the 11.4% rate in 2018-19.

The figures reflect a nationwide trend, with education experts saying schools throughout the country have struggled to boost attendance rates in recent years.

“We’re getting better more slowly, and that is a real danger for folks in Long Island and across the rest of the country,” said Nat Malkus, senior fellow and the deputy director of education policy at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based conservative-leaning research organization.

Research has shown that persistent absences can be detrimental for students, leading to gaps in proficiency and increasing the risk they will drop out of high school. Studies have also found that such absences disrupt learning even for students who attend regularly because academic content needs to be reintroduced.

Experts say a variety of factors are to blame for the high rate of absenteeism, including a shift in how parents value in-person learning since remote instruction became more commonplace during the pandemic. Local educators also cited student mental health issues, general disengagement with school, work priorities and, in some districts, anxiety about immigration enforcement amid the Trump administration’s crackdown.

Morgan Scott Polikoff, a professor at the University of Southern California who researches post-pandemic chronic absenteeism, said schools often make it easier for students to make up absences. This can lead to an expectation that students can catch up on missed work online, generally without repercussions.

“The culture towards in-person attendance has changed,” Polikoff said. “People don’t value it as much, and so there’s not as much of a priority on it.”

He added that if students are “still getting all A's and B's and passing all their classes, it’s not irrational for them to feel like they don’t need to show up.”

Absenteeism a nationwide issue

In 42 states and the District of Columbia, 23% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25 compared to 24% the year prior, according to Malkus, who tracks chronic absenteeism nationwide.

New York’s chronic absenteeism rate was 27% in 2024-25 versus 27.3% the year prior, according to Newsday’s analysis.

Twenty-nine of the Island’s 124 districts had an absenteeism rate higher than 20% in 2024-25. The Hempstead district had the highest rate, at 49%, followed by Central Islip at 39.7%, according to state data.

Jessica Iafrate, Central Islip’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said in an email the district is seeing improved attendance this year after it rolled out an initiative called CI Strong: Every Day Counts, which reinforces the benefits of daily attendance. 

Experts said that since the pandemic, some parents are more apt to take their children out for extended family vacations, sporting events or even a mild illness because they believe students can make up the work online. A March 2024 Brookings Institution report found that “even among caregivers who report their child was chronically absent, the majority do not see the absenteeism as a major problem.”

Farmingdale resident Erick Mauro, 47, said his three teenagers — a high school senior, a freshman and a seventh grader — are all expected to attend school regularly though he allows for some days off in their schedule.

“We build it in because I want them to be able to come and talk to me, but sometimes they have to go no matter what,” he said. On test days, he said, there are no excuses. 

But he said he’s noticed other families have shifted their attitudes regarding in-class learning. 

“Some parents think if you could do it online during COVID, why can’t you do it this way now,” he said.

Mental health concerns

Timothy T. Eagen, president of the Suffolk County School Superintendents Association and superintendent of the Kings Park school district, said in a phone interview it has been a “stubborn challenge” to get children back to pre-pandemic attendance levels. He said students are dealing with complex issues, ranging from poverty to family challenges, that could be impacting attendance.

“Our current student population has significantly greater needs to be met, and mental health struggles are one of these needs,” he said. 

He also noted that parents are likelier to keep children home when sick, a lingering habit that emerged as a result of pandemic-era health guidelines.

Marie Testa, president of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents and head of the North Bellmore district, said in a statement that schools are trying to gain a better understanding of why individual students miss class.

“We continue to respond to evolving student needs, including mental health and health-related considerations, to keep students engaged and connected to their learning,” Testa said.

For some students, financial pressures could be a factor.

At Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, principal John Murphy said some students work to pay rent and other bills.

“I have kids ... that live paycheck to paycheck. … So they have to work or they’re not going to have a place to sleep the next month,” Murphy said. “Sometimes, that’s the reason why I’m seeing more of an increase in attendance issues, because they need to make sure that they’re able to help themselves financially.”

Studies have found that lower-income students are likelier to be chronically absent due to reasons such as economic concerns, health, transportation and housing issues. At Walt Whitman High, about half of the school's 1,937 students were considered economically disadvantaged in 2024-25, state data shows. The chronic absence rate that year for students in this category was approximately 27% versus 21.4% for the overall high school population.

Murphy said a team of staffers, including social workers and teachers, identifies students who are having attendance issues and conduct home visits to understand why they are missing school.

Staffers also try to educate some parents, who hail from other countries and take extended trips to visit family abroad, of the harms associated with missing classes, he said.

Immigration enforcement impact

In the Hempstead school district, Superintendent Gary Rush told Newsday in an emailed statement that the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the community had “created fear among some families and affected student attendance.”

Rush said the district is conducting periodic audits to identify students who are missing too many days of school and ensure they receive proper support.

Roosevelt school district superintendent Shawn Wightman said the increased immigration enforcement had also impacted attendance for some students in his district, which had a 32.3% absenteeism rate in 2024-25.

“We believe a number of factors have affected student attendance, including illness, family circumstances, travel, disengagement, and, for some families, fear and uncertainty related to immigration enforcement activity in the broader community,” he said in an emailed statement.

Two Roosevelt High School students were detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in separate incidents last year, Newsday previously reported. One has since agreed to return to Guatemala; the other remains in ICE custody, according to the agency's tracking system.

Wightman said Roosevelt school staffers will call, text and email families about absences, hold meetings with students and parents and visit them at home. They also try to identify students at risk of chronic absenteeism, he said.

“We are also working to strengthen student engagement through meaningful school experiences and activities that foster a sense of connection to school,” Wightman said.

Attendance success in some districts 

Some Island districts showed improvements in their absenteeism rate, which counts students in first grade and older who are enrolled for a minimum of 10 instructional days and attend at least one of those days.

Among districts with more than 100 students, 30 decreased their rates by greater than 1 percentage point in 2024-25.

One of the districts that saw the greatest progress was Bridgehampton, which dropped 9.6 percentage points, to 19.5%, in 2024-25.

The district’s interim superintendent, Brigid P. Collins, said in a statement: “The decrease in attendance issues is a combined reflection of our strengthened communication efforts and deeper family engagement.”

She said the district sends attendance letters and implemented the ParentSquare notification system, which sends immediate alerts about student lateness and absences.

The Amagansett district, which had less than 100 students last school year, lowered its rate by 8.4 percentage points to 21.8%.

Superintendent Michael S. Rodgers said in a statement the district “has made a strong, collective effort to build a more positive and engaging school culture for the students, staff, and families.”

“This includes incorporating more hands-on projects, experiential learning opportunities, and field trips that connect classroom instruction to real world experiences,” Rodgers said. 

Cecelia Leong, vice president of programs at the national nonprofit Attendance Works, said some schools are having success by building relationships with students and families and ensuring students feel welcome, accepted and safe.

“Those consistent things that build a sense of belonging and relationship are really important,” Leong said. 

One study spearheaded by a national education nonprofit found that schools that had stronger family engagement pre-pandemic had a roughly 6% reduction in chronic absenteeism compared to schools with weaker family involvement.

Leong noted that some schools have also improved attendance by tailoring instruction and making it relevant to a student’s individual goals.

“They want to come because there’s something going on inside those walls that’s academically challenging and engaging,” Leong said. “It could also be an extracurricular activity such as a sport, the arts or a club.”

But as schools continue to try to draw children back, experts predicted that changing the underlying mindset will take more time.

“My sort of assessment of the pandemic rise is that it’s less about what schools do or don’t do, and more about the culture of attendance and what we got used to as parents and schools as well,” said Malkus, of the American Enterprise Institute. “It’s really hard for schools to put in a program to just fix all those expectations. It’s a much longer fight.”