District officials say attendance has fallen 4 to 5 percentage points since the 2018-19 school year and has yet to recover. Dr. LaVerne Mattocks-Perry, who leads Student Support Services for DPS, said the trend has been building.
"We have seen for a number of years our chronic absenteeism is increasing and our average daily attendance is decreasing," Mattocks-Perry said.
She said there is no single explanation for why chronic absenteeism remains high, describing it instead as a systemic issue affecting all student groups. Family instability, social pressures and mental health challenges are among the factors contributing to students missing school.
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"We have specific conditions here in Durham County and in the city of Durham that create some hardships for some of our community members that can lead to instability," she said. "And that impacts children and their ability to attend school regularly and on time."
Parents say those stresses often follow students into the classroom.
"The kids are dealing on a day-to-day basis with the tensions," parent Andres Macias said. "The kids need a safer environment to thrive."
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The district has missed its attendance goals for several years. Current attendance is about 89%, below the 92% benchmark.
In response, DPS officials said they are shifting toward early intervention and student wellness as a strategy to improve attendance.
"We have to have a multi-pronged approach to trying to figure out how we can support students and figure out why this child is not attending and returning them back to regular attendance," Mattocks-Perry said.
The district aims to reach 95% attendance rate by 2028.
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