States / Massachusetts

Chronic absence in Massachusetts

Where things stand, what state rules ask of each role, and what is changing. For school and district leaders.

School year 2025-26

17.1%

of students were chronically absent¹

Chronically absent means absent 10% or more of their days enrolled in a school.²

U.S. rate: 22.6% (2024-25)⁵

Five-year trend

Massachusetts, year by year

Massachusetts chronic absence by school year
School year	Chronically absent
2020-21	18%
2021-22	28%
2022-23	22%
2023-24	19.7%
2024-25	19%
2025-26	17.1%

Dashed bars mark years the state did not publish a rate.

Where things stand

The numbers

In 2025-26, 17.1% of Massachusetts students were chronically absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of their days enrolled in a school, according to the state's end-of-year attendance report, which counts students in grades PK-12 enrolled at least 20 days^1,2.
That is down from 19.7% in 2023-24 and a pandemic high of 27.7%, but still above the state's pre-pandemic rate of 13%³.
In 2025-26, 4.8% of students missed 20% or more of their enrolled days, and 21.3% had more than 9 unexcused absences¹.
The problem is wider than before the pandemic: the state counted 326 districts and 1391 schools with 10% or more of students chronically absent in 2023-24, up from 198 districts and 913 schools in 2018-19³.
On 2024 state tests in grades 3-8, 22% of chronically absent students met or exceeded expectations in English, against 42% of other students; in math it was 19% against 45%³.
On the national compilation, Massachusetts was at 19% in 2024-25, below the US rate of 22.6%^4,5.

Requirements by role

What state rules ask of each role

Teachers

Teachers may excuse necessary absences for other causes only as far as the superintendent or school committee authorizes them, and only up to seven day sessions or fourteen half day sessions in any period of six months⁶.
Schools must keep the daily attendance registers faithfully, under the superintendent's direction, and a student who is not present for at least half of a session must be marked and counted absent for that session⁷.

Counselors

When a student who has not graduated is about to leave school for good, the superintendent or a designee must convene a team of school staff, such as the principal, guidance counselor, teachers and attendance officer, for an exit interview with the student and parent¹⁵.
The exit interview is to discuss why the student is leaving and to consider alternative education or other placements; the student must be told about the harms of leaving school early, the benefits of a diploma, and the alternative programs and services available¹⁵.

Attendance team

Each school must have a pupil absence notification program that notifies the parent or guardian of a child's absence if the school has not heard from the parent or guardian within 3 days of the absence⁸.
Each school committee must have a policy of notifying the parent or guardian of a student who, in a school year, has at least 5 days on which the student missed 2 or more periods unexcused, or has missed 5 or more school days unexcused⁸.
Supervisors of attendance must inquire into cases under the compulsory attendance laws and other listed sections, may apply for child requiring assistance petitions in juvenile court, and may take to school, without a warrant, any truant or absentee found wandering in the streets or public places¹⁰.
A parent or other person in control of a child who fails to have the child attend for seven day sessions or fourteen half day sessions within any period of six months may, on complaint by a supervisor of attendance, be fined not more than twenty dollars. A correctable physical or mental condition, or one that makes the child fit for special instruction at public charge outside public day schools, is not a defence unless the parent has used all reasonable measures to correct it and get the child suitable instruction¹¹.
A school district may file an application for assistance in juvenile court for a child aged 6 to 18 who, not excused under the school's lawful and reasonable rules, has willfully failed to attend for more than 8 school days in a quarter, or repeatedly fails to obey those rules. The application must state whether the child and family took part in the truancy prevention program, if one is available, and the specific steps taken under it; if it cites repeated failure to obey school rules, it must also state the specific steps the school took to improve the child's conduct. The clerk must tell the petitioner it may delay filing, have the family referred to a family resource center, community-based services program or other designated entity, and return to court later if needed. These cases are not criminal, are confidential, and an order on a school district petition cannot last past the child's sixteenth birthday^12,13,14.

Principals & districts

The principal or headmaster, or a designee, must make a reasonable effort to meet with the parent or guardian of a student who has 5 or more unexcused absences to develop action steps for attendance. The steps must be developed jointly and agreed by the principal or designee, the student and the parent or guardian, with input from other relevant school staff and from relevant public safety, health and human service, housing and nonprofit agencies⁸.
Each school committee must provide for and enforce the school attendance of all children living in its town, and must appoint one or more supervisors of attendance; two or more towns may share the same supervisors^6,9.
A student who has not graduated is not considered to have permanently left school unless a school administrator sends notice, within 5 days of the student's tenth consecutive absence, to the student and parent in the parent's primary language (to the extent practicable) and English. The notice must offer at least 2 dates and times for an exit interview with the superintendent or a designee, to be held within 10 days of the notice; the parent may ask for an extension of no longer than 14 days, and the interview may go ahead without the parent after a good faith effort to include them. This does not apply to a student who has completed the regular course of education or whose absences have been excused¹⁵.
Each superintendent must report each year to the state the number of students aged sixteen or older who have permanently left school, their reasons, and any alternative education or other placement each student has taken¹⁵.

Recent changes

What changed lately

In the 2023-2024 school year, the state education department convened an external advisory committee to recommend possible changes to the district and school accountability system¹⁷.
The committee's report, presented to the state board on September 23, 2024, listed student absenteeism among proposed supplemental indicators that would further differentiate school performance. These are recommendations for the department to consider; its proposed next steps include seeking board and federal approval for changes¹⁸.

Accountability

How the state holds schools to it

Chronic absenteeism is one of the indicators in the state's school and district accountability system: the state sets annual improvement targets for every district and school, including for chronic absenteeism, and reports progress each year¹⁶.
Chronic absenteeism is combined with achievement, growth, English learner progress, high school completion and advanced coursework into a single target percentage; a group must reach 75 percent or higher to be meeting or exceeding targets¹⁶.
Chronic absenteeism also feeds the accountability percentile, which is reported for most schools: percentiles are not calculated for districts, or for any school without sufficient achievement and growth data in English language arts and mathematics. Being among the lowest 10 percent of schools statewide on that percentile is one of several reasons a school is identified as needing focused/targeted support¹⁶.
On school report cards, chronic absenteeism is the percentage of students who miss 10 percent or more of the school year, for example 18 or more days in a typical 180-day school year¹⁶.
The state publishes school and district attendance reports that show the share of students chronically absent at 10% or more and at 20% or more, now with student group data¹.

Working on chronic absence in Massachusetts?

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Sources

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). School and District Profiles, Student Attendance 2025-26 (End of year) Attendance Report (District) - All Students, State Total row; columns in order: Attendance Rate, Average # of Absences, Absent 10 or more days, Chronically Absent (10% or more), Chronically Absent (20% or more), Unexcused > 9 days (opens in a new tab) (2026-09-22 (data last updated))
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). School and District Profiles, About the Data: Students (Chronically Absent definition) (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Chronic Absenteeism (overview) (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
American Enterprise Institute (Nat Malkus). From Attendance Crisis to Chronic Condition? Tracking Post-Pandemic Chronic Absenteeism into 2025, Table A3. State-Reported Chronic Absenteeism Data, by State, School Years 2017-25 (school years referred to by the spring year: 2021 = 2020-21, 2022 = 2021-22, 2023 = 2022-23, 2024 = 2023-24, 2025 = 2024-25; rates rounded to whole percent) (opens in a new tab) (2026-06-30)
American Enterprise Institute. From Attendance Crisis to Chronic Condition? Tracking Post-Pandemic Chronic Absenteeism into 2025 (opens in a new tab) (2026-06-30)
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 76, § 1: Requirements and exceptions (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 72, § 8: School registers; maintenance and use (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 76, § 1B: Pupil absence notification program (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 76, § 19: Supervisors of attendance; employment (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 76, § 20: Powers and duties of supervisors of attendance (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 76, § 2: Duties of parents; penalty (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 119, § 21: Definitions (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 119, § 39E: Petitions seeking determination that child is in need of services; jurisdiction; standing (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 119, § 39G: Adjudication and disposition (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (malegislature.gov). M.G.L. c. 76, § 18: Notice to parent or guardian and meeting with school committee prerequisite to student permanently leaving school; annual report; application of section (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). School and District Profiles, About the Data: Accountability & Report Cards (opens in a new tab) (2026-10-13 (accessed))
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Accountability Lists, Materials, and Tools (opens in a new tab) (2026-09-29 (last updated))
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) / National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment. Overview of the Massachusetts Accountability System Review Advisory Committee Report (presentation to the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education) (opens in a new tab) (2024-09-23)