Virginia has been recognized by Attendance Works, a national organization focused on school attendance policy, for its progress in reducing chronic absenteeism. The annual analysis by Attendance Works highlighted Virginia’s data-driven approach and featured the state in a case study that detailed efforts led by Governor Glenn Youngkin, the Virginia Department of Education, the Virginia Board of Education, and local school divisions.
Governor Youngkin established the Chronic Absenteeism Task Force in September 2023 as part of his ALL In Initiative. This task force is a central component of the ALL In VA plan, which aims to address learning loss through strategies focused on attendance, literacy, and learning.
“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and thrive in the classroom, and that starts with being present in school,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin. “Through the ALL In VA Initiative, we are tackling chronic absenteeism head-on and giving students the support they need to succeed. I am proud of the progress we’ve made together, but we will not stop until every student is consistently in school, learning, and building the foundation for a brighter future.”
Secretary of Education Aimee R. Guidera commented on how pandemic-related closures reinforced key lessons about education: “Prolonged and unnecessary school closures reinforced a core tenet of education: students benefit – academically, socially, and developmentally – when they are in school in person,” she said. “Because of the prioritization of attendance, every day, by the VDOE and by educators across the Commonwealth, Virginia has been recognized as a national leader.”
Virginia is among 21 states participating in an effort known as the 50% Challenge to reduce chronic absence rates by half. The state has set specific targets for lowering chronic absence rates and is one of only six states that factor chronic absence into their accountability systems.
Chronic absenteeism refers to students missing at least ten percent—about 18 days—of an academic year for any reason. Rates increased during extended pandemic-related closures but have become a focus for recovery efforts statewide.
The factors behind student absences vary widely across schools and families. Virginia’s strategy includes identifying which students are missing significant time from class and understanding why those absences occur so targeted interventions can be implemented.
To support these efforts, more than $418 million has been allocated toward high-intensity tutoring programs; implementation of literacy initiatives; hiring attendance specialists; improving data systems; exploring new transportation solutions; partnering with pediatricians; and working with community organizations.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Emily Anne Gullickson noted improvements resulting from these collective actions: “I want to emphasize the tremendous commitment by parents, teachers, and community members to help Virginia students find their way back to school. The results of these collective efforts represent 1,276,522 fewer absent days and an increase of nearly 9 million hours of student learning time,” she said. “Virginia’s unified approach, anchored by the ALL In VA initiative, has been critical in reducing chronic absenteeism and more good news is around the corner. We will continue building on this momentum until every student is back to school and consistently back to learning.”
Officials say ongoing use of real-time data from a new statewide attendance dashboard will help target support earlier for at-risk students while partnerships with families and communities remain central to further progress.
A related event hosted by AEI—a partner organization with Attendance Works—will feature Superintendent Gullickson alongside other leaders discussing long-term strategies for sustaining improvements in student attendance.
