Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green | Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Governor Dan McKee and Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green have launched the 2025-26 Attendance Matters RI campaign, marking a third consecutive year of declining chronic absenteeism rates in Rhode Island schools. The announcement included the release of new Attendance and Academic Achievement Guidance aimed at supporting students who are chronically absent and not meeting grade-level outcomes.
Chronic absenteeism in Rhode Island, defined as missing 10% or more school days per year, dropped from 24.7% in the 2023-24 school year to 22.1% in 2024-25—a reduction of about 2.6 percentage points and representing over 142,000 fewer absences compared to the previous year. Since its peak at 34.1% during the 2021-22 school year, chronic absenteeism has fallen by 12 percentage points statewide, with approximately 3.7 million learning hours recovered.
“Rhode Island’s collective work to improve school attendance continues to deliver positive results that will help raise student academic achievement across the Ocean State,” said Governor Dan McKee. “My Administration will continue to remind students, families, and educators that: Attendance Matters!”
“I’m incredibly proud that through the partnership of students, families, educators, and community members, Rhode Island continues to lead the way in reducing chronic absenteeism,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “As we kick off the campaign for the upcoming year, it’s important we recognize our progress but also keep in mind that too many kids are still missing school too often.”
Recent data from SurveyWorks indicates an increase in awareness among families and educators regarding the impact of missing school; however, student awareness remains low. In a recent survey of nearly 132,500 respondents—about 2,000 more than last year—only 30% of students in grades six through twelve believed that missing eighteen days would significantly affect their chances of graduating high school.
The new Attendance and Academic Achievement Guidance focuses on early identification and intervention for at-risk elementary and middle school students who are both chronically absent and performing below grade level in math or English language arts (ELA). Local Education Agencies (LEAs) are advised to identify these students early; communicate with families about potential consequences; prioritize support before considering retention; review evidence for exemptions; and provide intensive support plans if retention occurs.
“Every Rhode Island student deserves to learn in a supportive learning environment that helps them thrive,” said Governor Dan McKee. “With this new Attendance and Academic Achievement Guidance, my Administration is ensuring students who are struggling receive support early before they fall too far behind in their academics.”
“RIDE is committed to ensuring that no student falls through the cracks, and our latest Guidance aims to connect struggling students with the help and resources needed to succeed,” said Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “By identifying these students early and prioritizing support for them, working together, we can prevent long-term consequences that may severely limit their potential in the classroom, college, and career.”
The guidance was developed with input from partners such as Harvard Graduate School of Education, Brown University, local stakeholders including education leaders from business and community organizations, as well as feedback from students and families.
Research shows a significant achievement gap between chronically absent students and their peers—over twenty percentage points—and links chronic absenteeism with higher dropout rates (a nearly forty-point gap), increased suspensions, substance use among teens, poorer adult health outcomes, as well as lower reading proficiency by third grade if absences occur during early childhood years.
In response to transparency needs around attendance data,the Rhode Island Department of Education has launched an interactive calendar heatmap showing daily student attendance rates across districts—a first-in-the-nation tool designed to highlight trends such as increased absences around weekends or holiday breaks.
At this year's campaign launch event attended by state officials—including House Education Chair Representative Joseph M. McNamara; Providence Public Schools Acting Superintendent Dr. Paula Dillon; State Teacher of the Year Sarah Dully; along with parents and community members—schools were recognized for both lowest overall chronic absenteeism rates (“Attendance All-Stars”) as well as most improved rates at elementary through high school levels.
Providence Public Schools reported one of the largest declines among districts: its chronic absenteeism rate fell by about seven percentage points since last year—from 36.2% down to 29.3%. This marks a drop of almost twenty-eight percentage points since its highest rate recorded post-pandemic (57.1%) during the 2021-22 academic year.
PPSD has implemented several strategies including forming attendance teams at each school site; launching internal dashboards tracking both attendance and academic performance; establishing direct family communication systems regarding absences; plus targeted interventions addressing barriers such as transportation or health concerns.
“Providence has been prioritizing the support and engagement of our students and their families, and we have successfully been reducing chronic absenteeism district-wide,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. Paula Dillon. “Chronic absenteeism isn’t just a statistic; it’s a signal that a student needs deeper support. As leaders in this work Providence will continue to use data to identify the needs of our students and take action to engage and support students who are most at risk.”
Schools recognized for most improved rates include Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy (elementary), Roger Williams Middle School (middle), Beacon Charter School (high), among others across various districts statewide.
Schools noted for lowest overall chronic absenteeism included Sowams Elementary School (Barrington), Jamestown School - Lawn Middle School (Jamestown), The Greene School Charter (West Greenwich), Segue Institute for Learning Legacy High School (Segue Institute Charter), East Greenwich High School (East Greenwich), Barrington High School (Barrington), North Smithfield High School (North Smithfield) among others.
Alerts Sign-up