According to Utah State Board of Education Utah Public Affairs Director Sharon Turner, nearly 25% of Utah students are chronically absent. That means they miss 10% or more of school in an academic year. Turner said this is on par with the rest of the nation, which is facing an absenteeism crisis prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But, she said, things are starting to improve.
“We've actually seen improvement post-COVID,” Turner said. “In the 2022 to 2023 school year, we were hovering around 26% of students being chronically absent.”
Schools in Summit County have lower rates of chronic absenteeism, according to state board data, while Wasatch County’s only school district has a higher rate.
Park City School District had the lowest chronic absenteeism rate with 15.7% during the 2023-2024 school year. North Summit School District was close behind with 15.8% and South Summit School District had 19%.
However, Wasatch School District was slightly above the state and national average with 26.2% of its students missing 10% of the 2023-2024 school year.
Turner said there are many root causes for a student to be chronically absent, including
“There are many barriers, one of them being poor transportation and lack of access to a schedule that works well for that family,” she said. “There could be chronic illness within that student. There could also be a school climate that doesn't necessarily work well for the student.”
Turner said the board’s research has shown the best way to curb chronic absenteeism is through community outreach and partnerships that alleviate attendance barriers. For example, community-based mental health services, increased transportation access including bus stops and family outreach and messaging.
School-based resource centers where students have access to food, hygiene products and laundry facilities are also helpful. The Park City School District is set to open a resource center in June 2025.
The Utah Legislature is also tackling chronic absenteeism this general session. Rep. Sahara Hayes, D-Salt Lake, introduced House Bill 206. The bill would create a pilot program to encourage students to attend class.
Under the proposal, 100 students in five schools would be able to participate. The program would give those students up to $400 for a 90% or better attendance record. The money would be deposited in the state-run educational savings account program known as my529.
The bill is awaiting review by the House Education Committee, which will hear public comment on the proposal.
