Chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10% or more of school days for any reason, whether excused, unexcused, or disciplinary—is a growing concern in Maine and across the nation.
In early 2024, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) began to forge a path to address this issue through a transformative collaboration called the Maine Engagement and Attendance Center (MEAC). This work involves representatives from across a variety of Maine DOE offices and teams, as well as external partners like Count ME In and Maine Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS).
MEAC aims to leverage various partnerships, data-driven strategies, and the expertise of Maine’s education workforce to address chronic absenteeism through a systemic approach.
By the Numbers
Chronic absenteeism is not isolated to one region or demographic; it affects students in every grade, every district, and every zip code. It is strongly associated with lower academic performance, higher risk of grade retention, and increased dropout rates. Research shows that students who are chronically absent in early grades are less likely to read proficiently by third grade, more likely to fail courses in middle school, and are at greater risk of not graduating high school.
National data from Attendance Works indicates that during the 2022-2023 school year, the national rate of chronic absenteeism was 28%—only a slight decline from the pandemic peak of 30% in 2021-2022. This represents a dramatic rise compared to 16% in 2018-2019, the last full school year before the pandemic.
Chronic absenteeism data in Maine reflects similar trends. In the 2021-2022 school year, Maine saw a chronic absenteeism rate of 31%. Since then, numbers have been trending in a downward direction to nearly 27% in 2022-2023 and 24% in 2023-2024.
Potential Solutions
Improving attendance and engagement in school requires a comprehensive approach. In August of 2024, the Maine DOE launched its Attendance Toolkit, a resource designed to help school staff understand how attendance can impact a variety of health factors for students, including, but not limited to, health services, school climate, family engagement, and community involvement.
In early 2025, the Maine DOE launched a four-part learning series to allow participants to more deeply explore the Attendance Toolkit. Recordings of these sessions are as follows:
- Introduction and The Basics
- School Climate & Student Supports
- Comprehensive Health Education & Employee Wellness
- Health Services
Resources
Resources to help schools collect, analyze, and report attendance data accurately, ensuring compliance, informed decisions, and improved student outcomes.
Resources supporting school leaders in building effective attendance systems, fostering accountability, guiding teams, and promoting a culture of engagement.
Resources to strengthen family and student engagement, promote attendance awareness, build partnerships, and support consistent school participation and success.
Resources to foster community collaboration, align support services, build partnerships, and address barriers impacting student attendance and school engagement.
Resources to support ongoing progress monitoring, evaluate attendance initiatives, and build sustainable systems that promote long-term student attendance improvement.