Andrew Jackson Academy halves chronic absenteeism

Andrew Jackson Academy in District Heights cut chronic absenteeism to 44% this school year from 74% in 2022, Principal Warren Tweety told NBC Washington. (nbcwashington.com) Tweety said the school started by asking students why they were missing class instead of treating every absence as a discipline problem. NBC Washington reported students pointed to barriers that ranged from motivation to family routines. (nbcwashington.com) Prince George’s County Public Schools said chronic absenteeism across the district fell to 27% from 30% over the past year. The district also launched an Attendance Ambassador program built around community outreach. (nbcwashington.com) (citizenportal.ai) In Prince George’s County policy, chronic absenteeism means missing 10% or more of enrolled school days. The school board’s attendance policy says schools should use early, proactive intervention with families and communities. (pgcps.org) The district’s public attendance guidance tells parents to keep routines, communicate absences quickly, and ask teachers, counselors, or community agencies for help getting children to school. That frames attendance as a support issue as much as a compliance issue. (pgcps.org 1) (pgcps.org 2) Prince George’s County had already reported progress before this week’s story. In February 2024, the district said chronic absenteeism had fallen to 29.10% from 34.89% a year earlier, its lowest January level in three years. (epi.pgcps.org) The challenge is bigger than one Maryland school. Return to Learn Tracker said national chronic absenteeism rose from 15% before COVID-19 to 28% in 2022 and was still 24% in 2024. (returntolearntracker.net) A Utah example in KSL’s reporting showed how varied the tactics can be. West Lake Junior High cut absenteeism in half with incentives including donuts, field trips and other rewards tied to showing up. (ksl.com) For Andrew Jackson Academy, the headline number is simple: 30 percentage points of chronic absenteeism erased since 2022, with the district still trying to push lower from there. (nbcwashington.com)