States / Vermont

Chronic absence in Vermont

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

School year 2024-25

25%

of students were chronically absent¹

Chronically absent means missing 10% or more of the school year, counting all absences: excused, unexcused and suspensions.¹

U.S. rate: 22.6% (2024-25)⁶

Five-year trend

Vermont, year by year

Vermont chronic absence by school year
School year	Chronically absent
2019-20	19%
2020-21	26%
2021-22	40%
2022-23	29%
2023-24	26%
2024-25	25%

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

Where things stand

The numbers

1 in 4 Vermont students was chronically absent in 2024-25: 25%, by the Agency of Education's count¹.
The Agency says chronic absenteeism rose 67% from 2019 to 2023 and has declined since then, but is still high¹.
Its charts show the rate went from about 18% before the pandemic to a peak of 42%, so it is still well above where it started⁴.
In 2024-25, 57% of students experiencing homelessness, 34% of students living in poverty and 32% of students with disabilities were chronically absent, against 25% of all students^1,5.
Vermont is above the national picture: across reporting states, 22.6% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, which AEI labels 2025^6,1.
Even so, in AEI's analysis Vermont leads all states: 81% of its students are in districts on track to halve their 2022 chronic absenteeism rates by 2027⁶.

Requirements by role

What state rules ask of each role

Teachers

Since July 1, 2026, a student counts as absent when, for at least half the school day while school is open, the student is not physically on school grounds or is not receiving educational, cocurricular or athletic services elsewhere under a program or plan approved by the district or approved independent school⁷.
Chronic absenteeism means being absent for any reason for 10 percent or more of the school's student attendance days within one school year, whether the absences are excused or unexcused⁷.
Days of in-school or out-of-school suspension count as excused absences⁷.
An absence is excused when the superintendent or designee (or, at an approved independent school, the head of school or designee) approves it under section 1123, before or after the absence; that section runs in accordance with the district's chronic absenteeism and truancy policy, and any other absence is unexcused⁷.
If the superintendent (or the head of an approved independent school) asks a parent or guardian to justify an absence and they do not, the absence is unexcused⁷.

Counselors

In Act 122's findings, the Legislature says schools should respond to chronic absenteeism through written attendance support plans, outreach to families, and appropriate academic, behavioral and community-based supports⁷.
The findings also say truancy should be a legal enforcement tool only after reasonable school-based interventions have been tried and have not improved attendance⁷.
The state's model policy must give guidance on how to address the absence of a child with a disability, in accordance with applicable state and federal law⁷.
It must also consider the impact hazing, harassment and bullying may have on attendance, including tailored responses for students struggling with safety and emotional issues⁷.

Attendance team

Truancy means 20 or more unexcused absences, either within the same school year or within the school's last 175 consecutive student attendance days, even if those days fall in different school years⁷.
The principal must notify the superintendent when a student between six and 16 years of age who is not exempted from school attendance fails to enter school at the beginning of the academic year or, being enrolled, accumulates 20 or more unexcused absences either within the same school year or within the last 175 consecutive student attendance days. The same notice is required when a student under six or at least 16 years of age enrolled in a public school in kindergarten through grade 12 accumulates 20 or more unexcused absences within either of those windows^8,7.
After reviewing the truancy reporting protocol, the superintendent must notify the truant officer and the Department for Children and Families' Centralized Intake and Emergency Services⁷.
For a Vermont resident student at an approved independent school, the head of school or designee must notify the superintendent of the student's district of residence⁷.
The state's model procedures will include a template for documenting the actions taken to address an absence; that record is the truancy reporting protocol⁷.

Principals & districts

Each school district and approved independent school must develop, adopt, ensure enforcement of, and make public a policy to prevent and respond to chronic absenteeism and truancy that is at least as stringent as the Agency's model policy^7,9.
School boards and approved independent school governing bodies must adopt and implement that policy on or before July 1, 2028; a board or school that fails to adopt one is presumed to have adopted the Agency's most current model policy⁷.
Each superintendent (or head of an approved independent school) must develop and implement procedures to carry out the policy, and must ensure absence data is collected and recorded in accordance with Agency of Education requirements⁷.
School boards must appoint one or more truant officers every year and record the appointments with the school district clerk on or before July 3; state police, sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, constables and police officers are truant officers by law¹⁰.
When a child is truant, the State's Attorney must file a child in need of care or supervision petition at the request of the superintendent of the district where the child is enrolled or resides; if none is filed within a reasonable time, the superintendent may ask the Attorney General to file one on behalf of the Department¹¹.

Recent changes

What changed lately

Act 122 (H.930), on addressing and preventing chronic absenteeism, was signed June 8, 2026 and took effect July 1, 2026⁷.
It adds statewide definitions of absence, chronic absenteeism, excused absence, parent or guardian, truancy and unexcused absence; districts previously used varying definitions^8,12.
The Agency of Education must develop a model policy on preventing chronic absenteeism and truancy and review it at least every three years⁷.
The Agency must send lawmakers a written update on that work on or before March 15, 2027, and adopt and publish the model policy on or before July 1, 2027⁷.
If a parent or guardian still fails, without legal excuse, to send the child to school after the truant officer's written notice, the truant officer must file a complaint with the county State's Attorney, including the truancy reporting protocol⁷.
The State's Attorney may then prosecute the parent or guardian or file a child in need of supervision petition; if a criminal case is filed, the fine cannot exceed $1,000.00^8,7.
The act repeals the provision that let a superintendent or truant officer stop a child wherever found and take the child to school, and the provision under which a superintendent, truant officer or teacher could be fined under the attendance and discipline laws⁸.
Schools may now provide alternative education, such as tutoring, instructional materials and assignments, during any suspension of three or more days; they may also do so for an expelled student, but must provide educational access to the extent other law requires⁷.

Accountability

How the state holds schools to it

The Agency defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of the school days in an academic year for any reason, excused or unexcused, and notes that each state reports to the federal government using this measure⁴.
The Vermont Education Dashboard gives public access to chronic absence data reported by Vermont elementary, middle and high schools¹³.
When Vermont's ESSA plan was approved in 2017, its school quality measures were science assessments, physical fitness, college and career readiness and post-secondary outcomes; chronic absenteeism was not among them¹⁴.
The Agency has a policy brief with a multi-year strategic plan to reduce chronic absenteeism, and plans steering committees to define success and set clear performance measures^13,1.
Under Act 122, superintendents must ensure absence data is collected and recorded in accordance with Agency of Education requirements⁷.
The Agency lists a draft model policy, draft model procedures and best practices for attendance teams as coming soon¹³.

Working on chronic absence in Vermont?

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Sources

Vermont Agency of Education. Addressing Chronic Absenteeism in Vermont, testimony slides to the House Committee on Education (updated January 23, 2026), chart: Percent of Students Chronically Absent, 2025 (the same deck labels this year SY 2024-25) (opens in a new tab) (2026-01-23)
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 (columns 2017 to 2025 by spring year; 2020 = 2019-20, 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)
VTDigger (reporting Vermont Agency of Education data). Vermont schools are making headway to address chronic absenteeism, but rates remain stubbornly high (opens in a new tab) (2026-01-29)
Vermont Agency of Education. State Education Profile, presentation to the House Committee on Education (file dated 1-14-2025) (opens in a new tab) (2025-01-14)
University of Vermont, Vermont Child Health Improvement Program (citing Vermont Agency of Education data). Chronic Absence 101 (Every Day Counts webinar slides, March 25, 2026) (opens in a new tab) (2026-03-25)
American Enterprise Institute (Nat Malkus). From Attendance Crisis to Chronic Condition? Tracking Post-Pandemic Chronic Absenteeism into 2025 (opens in a new tab) (2026-06-30)
Vermont General Assembly. Act No. 122 (H.930), An act relating to addressing and preventing chronic absenteeism, as enacted (amends 16 V.S.A. chapter 25), 16 V.S.A. § 1120(1) (opens in a new tab) (signed 2026-06-08; effective 2026-07-01)
Vermont General Assembly. Act No. 122 (H.930) Act Summary, Office of Legislative Counsel (opens in a new tab) (2026)
Vermont General Assembly. 16 V.S.A. § 563(1), Powers of school boards (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-13)
Vermont General Assembly. 16 V.S.A. § 1125, Truant officers (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-13)
Vermont General Assembly. 33 V.S.A. § 5309, Filing of a petition (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-13)
Mountain Times (Killington, Vt.). Beyond education reform: A roundup of Vt.’s new school laws (opens in a new tab) (2026-06-17)
Vermont Agency of Education. Chronic Absenteeism & Attendance Management (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-13)
FutureEd. Chronic absenteeism in state ESSA plans (table, September 2017) (opens in a new tab) (2017-09)