News Summary
Rhode Island reports a notable increase in chronic absenteeism for public school students, with 22% identified as chronically absent for the 2024-2025 school year. This represents an improvement from 24.6% in the previous year, but still highlights ongoing challenges post-pandemic, especially in urban areas like Providence. Efforts to reduce absenteeism focus on aggressive attendance initiatives and new protocols from the Rhode Island Department of Education. Targeted support remains crucial as the state aims to further lower absenteeism rates to enhance academic success.
Providence, Rhode Island — Rhode Island has reported a significant rise in chronic absenteeism among its public school students for the 2024-2025 school year, with 22% of students identified as being chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of the school year, which equates to 18 days. This statistic, while alarming, indicates a slight improvement from the previous year, where 24.6% of students were chronically absent.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rate of chronic absenteeism in Rhode Island stood at 19%. However, the impact of the pandemic was severe, peaking at an astounding 57% among students in Providence in the 2021-2022 school year. Currently, 29% of students in Providence remain classified as chronically absent, signaling ongoing challenges despite some gains made since the pandemic’s peak.
The state has set ambitious goals to tackle chronic absenteeism, particularly in Providence, aiming to reduce the rate to 10%. In this pursuit, Rhode Island has already reported a significant uptick in attendance, with the Rhode Island Department of Education noting 244,375 fewer absences over the last academic year. This reduction is equivalent to roughly 1.3 million hours of lost learning time.
Chronic absenteeism has important implications for student success, as research shows that students who are functionally absent tend to have drastically lower graduation rates, experiencing declines of over 30 percentage points compared to their regularly attending peers. To address these issues, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) has enacted new protocols that allow schools to notify students who are falling behind in attendance that they risk not being promoted to the next grade.
The challenge of chronic absenteeism isn’t limited to Rhode Island. Neighboring Massachusetts has also seen an increase in chronic absenteeism post-pandemic, with reports indicating that 19% of students are now chronically absent, compared to 13% prior to the pandemic. In Rhode Island, notable gains have been made among elementary school students, with a reported decrease of 5.1 percentage points in chronic absenteeism for those in kindergarten through fifth grade. This is a positive development, as younger students often set the foundation for lifelong learning habits.
Attendance data collected by RIDE using a real-time monitoring system provides valuable insights for individual districts, allowing them to track chronic absenteeism closely. An attendance “heat map” has highlighted specific challenges, pointing out that June 23 was the worst attendance day, with only 66% of students present. Intervention strategies are now more critical than ever to ensure achievement across demographics.
In Central Falls, which has the lowest performance on the Rhode Island Comprehensive Assessment System (RICAS) tests, chronic absenteeism was reported at 25%, further emphasizing the need for targeted support in struggling districts. Similarly, Achievement First, the state’s largest charter school operator, recorded a chronic absenteeism rate of 22%, a significant increase from 5% before the pandemic, as enrollment numbers have surged. Addressing the underlying causes of absenteeism will be central to improving educational outcomes.
RIDE is poised to launch a comprehensive media campaign aimed at reducing absenteeism. This initiative will utilize various advertising formats to reinforce the importance of regular school attendance among students and their families, highlighting its direct correlation to academic success.
In summary, while Rhode Island has seen some progress in reducing chronic absenteeism, significant challenges remain, especially in urban districts. The state’s efforts to improve attendance and promote engagement are ongoing, with a concerted focus on foundational changes necessary to foster a culture of consistent attendance.
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Additional Resources
- Boston Globe: RI Public School Students Chronic Absenteeism
- Wikipedia: Chronic Absenteeism
- Turn to 10: New Attendance Policy in Rhode Island
- Google Search: Chronic absenteeism Rhode Island
- Providence Journal: For Learning, Nothing Beats Actually Showing Up for Class
- Encyclopedia Britannica: School Absenteeism
- Brown Daily Herald: Providence Public Schools Show Moderate Progress
- Google News: Providence Public Schools Attendance
Author: STAFF HERE PROVIDENCE WRITER
PROVIDENCE STAFF WRITER The PROVIDENCE STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HEREProvidence.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Providence, Providence County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as WaterFire, Rhode Island International Film Festival, and Rhode Island Comic Con. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, plus leading businesses in finance and manufacturing that power the local economy such as Citizens Financial Group and Textron. As part of the broader HERE network, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into Rhode Island's dynamic landscape.
