If it’s true that 80% of success is showing up, we can add that to the list of reasons why so many Philadelphia public school students are struggling.
An Inquirer analysis found that nearly half of the students in the Philadelphia School District are “chronically absent,” meaning they missed more than 18 days or 10% of the school year.
The School District has long been plagued by poor attendance, but the percentage of students missing from class has increased since the pandemic. Skipping school leaves students further behind, increases dropout rates, and results in more students graduating with empty diplomas.
Philadelphia is not alone. Nationwide, the number of students considered chronically absent doubled since the pandemic to around 16 million, according to the research group Attendance Works.
