Sparks, S. (2018, April 26). How Many Students Are Chronically Absent in Your State? Federal Data Show Rates Rising. Retrieved May 21, 2018

The picture of student absenteeism nationwide is getting clearer, but in many ways darker. New federal civil rights data show nearly 8 million students nationwide were reported chronically absent from school in 2015-16, representing 16 percent of all K-12 students. That’s up by a million or more students from the last national count in 2013-14, when 14 percent of students were reported as missing 15 or more days in the school year. Chronic absenteeism has been associated with a slew of problems, including lower reading achievement and engagement in school, and ultimately a higher risk of dropping out.