When Louisiana education leaders started to shift greater focus to fighting high rates of absenteeism in schools, we gave them credit for recognizing that the remarkable gains the state is witnessing need to be shared among the broadest student population possible. Now, after a new program to combat absenteeism launched last year, the state is seeing some gains. But the problem remains much more stubborn than perhaps first thought.
Recent data show that a little under 22% of public school students were chronically absent during the 2025-26 academic year, just a 1% drop over the previous year. While that marks the second year of absenteeism dropping, still more than 1 in 5 students in Louisiana schools is chronically absent. That’s unacceptable to us, and to education officials, who have a goal to cut absenteeism by 2% each year.
What’s going on is hard to pinpoint. The data show that chronic absenteeism actually declined in two-thirds of school districts in the state. But there are pockets where the rates are at alarming levels. In East Baton Rouge and Orleans, for instance, the rate of chronic absenteeism tops 30%. Chronic absenteeism is defined as including students who miss at least 10% of school days. It should be obvious that with that many missed days, students are in danger of falling behind or even dropping out, and research on graduation rates confirms that.
Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley has said that truancy and absenteeism “minimized” the gains students across the state have made in recent years. But we have to give it to Brumley and his team for the truly remarkable progress in Louisiana schools since the pandemic. Absenteeism grew during COVID shutdowns across the nation and has not returned to the level it was before, raising the worrying possibility that this could become the new normal.
But state education officials aren’t throwing their hands up and wondering what to do. They are doubling down on their guidance to schools, known as “The Power of Presence.” It requires schools to track absenteeism daily and intervene when they see problems.
There is also a three-person team at the state level that makes contact with schools that have high absentee rates and helps them figure out strategies. Sometimes the key to getting kids to school can be surprisingly simple. Giving out free uniforms and encouraging participation in extracurriculars like band can have a tremendous effect. But the team isn’t just relying on anecdotes; it’s tracking what schools do and analyzing data on what really works. The state has also set aside $6 million for attendance specialists to work directly with struggling districts.
It’s this kind of evidence-based approach that has turned around Louisiana schools in recent years. And we hope it will help keep more students in school to benefit from the change.