It’s just common sense that students who are able to attend school regularly are more likely to perform at grade level in reading and math, and eventually graduate on time. But during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school year, approximately one-fourth of Ohio students were considered chronically absent (missing two or three days per month).

Addressing such a challenge will require having the information to get a handle on each student’s situations. To that end, the state has unveiled an attendance dashboard that should give schools another tool in the effort.

“The goal is to spot trouble early and help schools take action faster,” said Gov. Mike DeWine.

That action will no longer be just sending home warning letters.

“This is a major step forward in how we track and respond to attendance issues in Ohio. To our knowledge, Ohio is only the second state in the country to develop an attendance dashboard that provides weekly updates,” said Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen D. Dackin. “For the first time, schools and communities in Ohio will have access to weekly attendance information that can help them spot trends, identify challenges early, and respond with the right supports before students fall behind.”

Let’s look at Trumbull County’s three largest districts:

�–� The Warren City Schools had a 43.4% chronic absenteeism rate in the most recent data, which was a reduction of 0.2% from the previous period. In fact, of the 4,574 students enrolled in the district, 27% (1,254) had a “satisfactory” attendance record. Twenty-nine percent were deemed “at risk,” and the other 22% and 21% were in the “moderate” and “severe” absenteeism categories, respectively.

�–� The Howland Local Schools had a 22.2% chronic absenteeism rate most recently, down 0.6% from the previous period. Of its 2,100 students, 42% had a “satisfactory” attendance record. Thirty-six percent were “at risk.” and the other 16% and 6% were in the “moderate” and “severe” categories, respectively.

�–� The Niles City Schools had a 34.5% chronic absenteeism rate most recently — unchanged from the previous period. Of its 1,899 students, 34% had a “satisfactory” attendance record. Thirty-one percent were “at risk” and the other 22% and 13% were in the “moderate” and “severe” categories, respectively.

Drilling down into that kind of data will help school officials find better approaches to supporting many of those kids.

School districts are still being added to the dashboard, though DeWine said “We hope — and we expect — that every school and district in Ohio will do the work to get their data on the dashboard.”

They must. Knowledge is power, and knowledge about chronic absenteeism by students could give families, teachers and administrators more power to steer those students in the right direction. Of course, parents, guardians and students themselves bear the most responsibility when it comes to kids being in the classroom.