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Overview
When it comes to school, students who miss school….miss out. They miss out on opportunities to learn, build lasting friendships, and develop the skills and attitudes needed to become good citizens and valued employees. There is a very strong connection between student attendance and student performance in school. Our research shows that students who attend school every day pass state tests in reading and math at much higher rates than students who attend school less than 85% of the time. Higher attendance equals higher achievement for all students. Click the graph to enlarge.

Graph showing higher attendance equals higher grades

Research also says English learners gain from better attendance, and that being in school boosts English language development.
>> View All Charts

There are also serious consequences to missing school.
  • Students miss vital instructional time
  • Students miss tests and exams
  • Students who miss Advanced Placement Exams miss out on college credit because these exams cannot be made up
Student absences also affect school budgets. Schools and school districts get a significant amount of their funding based upon the number of students who actually attend school each day. This is called Average Daily Attendance (ADA). Potential losses in ADA revenue affects all students because it can lead to budget cuts affecting a variety of programs, as well as individual schools. SDUSD has an average daily attendance of 95.9%. A one percent increase in attendance produces $6 million more for children's education in San Diego. If all students had perfect attendance, the district would have had an additional $24 million in revenue in 2004-2005.
>>Learn More about calculating ADA.
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Related Resources

Attendance Charts

  • English Learners Gain from Better Attendance
    English  | Spanish 
  • Being in School Boosts Your English Language Achievement
    English  | Spanish 
  • Higher Attendance = Higher Achievement for All Students
    English  | Spanish 

Links

Other Items

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Contact Information

Department Contact
Communications Department
  • Every Day Counts! Campaign
  • Connect-ED
  • General Information
  • Media
Jennie Breister
Annie E. Casey Foundation Grant Coordinator
jbreister@sandi.net
(619) 725-5598
Financial Operations - Accounting
  • Average Daily Attendance (ADA)
Kenneth Leighton
Director, Accounting Operations
(619) 725-7667
kleighton@sandi.net
Research and Reporting Department
  • Student Performance Data
  • School Accountability Report Cards (SARCs)
Dr. Peter Bell
Director
pdbell@sandi.net
(858) 490-8680
Student Attendance Review Board
  • Student Attendance
  • Truancy Reduction
Crystal Cavanagh
SARB Manager
(858) 490-8671
ccavanagh@sandi.net
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