Researchers estimate that humans make 35,000 decisions every day. Many students’ mornings are flooded with mental calculations: What time should I set the alarm in order to finish the math homework due at 8:30 a.m.? Is there time to stop for coffee or am I running late enough to justify sprinting to class? Another decision frequently enters the mix: Is showing up to school even worth it today?
For a number of students, the answer is no.
According to the district’s California Healthy Kids Survey data from the 2024-25 school year, 46% of freshmen, 48% of sophomores, 49% of juniors and 62% of seniors reported missing one or more days of school in the previous 30 day period. Each of these statistics rose by two to three percentage points in the next question, which categorized reasons for absence. The most common reason was illness, followed by “didn’t get enough sleep,” “felt very sad, hopeless, anxious, stressed, or angry” and “were behind in schoolwork or weren’t prepared for a test or class assignment.” Across San Diego County, the number of students missing three or more days of school rose from pre-pandemic levels. In California during the 2023–24 school year, 20% of students were chronically absent, compared to 12% before the pandemic.
California’s funding model and rigid attendance policies treat students as financial assets that meet a count, rather than impressionable individuals present to learn, creating a system that is fundamentally designed to fail.
The school handles attendance via state-mandated policy, boxing absences into three categories: excused, unexcused or unverified. Excused absences must meet the criteria specified in California Education Code 48205. Consequences of excessive absences involve meeting with the Student Attendance Review Team (SART) to develop a SART contract, and in more severe cases, a referral to the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB), “which is an extension of Juvenile Court.”
Perhaps the rigidity of attendance policy is traceable to California funding schools through Average Daily Attendance (ADA). In simple terms: if students are not present, the school loses money. This creates a system where a student’s physical presence holds monetary value. Consequently, policies and regulations feel like they revolve around maximizing student presence, not necessarily student engagement.
In extremity, California’s attendance system adds an adversarial dimension to the already tense relationship between student and educational institutions. To many students, the justifiable reasons for absence are few in number; even if a reason for absence is acknowledged in the extensive list of excused absences, students worry about the ability to make up missed work and exams, when policies and levels of understanding vary across teachers. This sometimes pushes students and parents to dishonesty, in a system that is perceived to set itself up to be lied to. Ironically, trust is an essential to effective and formative learning environments.
Since the pandemic, the value of physical presence never rebounded to its original state. The world is increasingly digital, spurred by the physically disconnected era and rise of technology, especially in the artificial intelligence sector. Presentations, assignments and resources are often online, sometimes featuring more advanced or easier to understand content than teachers provide at school. In-person time is “wasted” on routines like attendance, settling the class or watching videos and completing silent work that could be done anywhere, in less time and with less distraction.
For many classes, the primary reason to attend is for participation or to take mandatory exams, rather than to learn. If education is so accessible from home, the dragging, almost seven-hour-long school day often is a barrier to completing tasks, especially in a world where teenagers’ schedules are flooded and curriculum seems like busy work. In the same CHKS data for the district, the percentage of students who reported meaningful participation at school was a minority for each grade level: 37% for freshmen, 35% for sophomores, 37% for juniors and 41% for seniors. School is also no longer the center of student life and achievement, as more students explore extracurricular activities and “good grades” are no longer enough to secure admission to prestigious higher education institutions — due to the holistic application — or provide intellectual fulfillment. Due to busy work and theoretical concepts, it is not unrealistic to see certain topics as useless in their future. Why should students endure an experience that, to them, seems to offer little educational value? The current attendance policy and its enforcements attempt to address symptoms — empty seats in classes — while neglecting the cause: a decay in the interactive value of the classroom.
Moreover, not all absences are equal. Data consistently shows that chronic absenteeism is more common among students with disabilities, English learners and inconsistent for students of different races and ethnicities. Students may have ill family members or play a large role in financially supporting their families. Students may feel averse to attending school due to bullying, lack of belonging, an unsupportive environment or feeling unsafe. Mental health, chronic illness and other factors play a role in student absence, and are difficult to communicate, especially if there is already a need for more trust between student and institution. Therefore, funding based on ADA decreases resources that may provide support for these root causes of chronic absenteeism.
Finally, the attendance system constantly forces students to choose presence over wellbeing. While California high schools may not begin later than 8:30 a.m., this does not guarantee enough rest. Research shows that teenagers experience a shift in circadian rhythm, which makes it hard to fall asleep before 11 p.m., and require 9 to 9.5 hours of sleep due to key stages of physical growth and brain development. With sports, extracurriculars and homework ranging from more busy work to actually meaningful practice, it is easy to see why teenagers are so sleep deprived. It is easy to explain the crowd waiting to cross the street 5 minutes before school starts and the empty seats in first period classes.
The culture that current attendance policies create is one where attending school while ill or contagious is the rational decision to avoid navigating the process of making up tests. It is one that pushes students to deal with the side effects of sleep deprivation in a competitive schedule where late nights are often unavoidable. It is one that cannot distinguish between truancy and necessary absences, then complicates the process as a result.
There is merit to the argument that accountability and structure are necessary to build discipline and attendance habits. However, the inconsistent discipline that the current attendance system squeezes out is not comparable to building intrinsic motivation. Currently, accountability is largely forced and comes at the sacrifice of well-being; it is at this point when school ceases to function at its most effective capacity as a place for adolescent development and education.
Such flaws call for a reevaluation on multiple levels. To begin, California may benefit from switching to an Average Daily Membership (ADM) funding model — the outline most U.S. states use — which funds schools based on student enrollment. This would reduce stress on schools to keep students in their seats for operational needs and allow them to focus more on engaging learning by improving educational quality.
Alternative models are not far from reach. Highly ranked Asian and Nordic education systems emphasize applied learning, equal opportunities for students and well-trained as well as respected teachers. Compulsory or encouraged attendance need not come at the sacrifice of quality and efficient education; perhaps it is time for California to find its own balance.
Additionally, absence reporting must involve trust as a humanistic and nuanced process. In a society where mental health is stigmatized, or difficult to talk about, students may find it hard to explain their absence and instead categorize it as illness. This decreases a school’s ability to support their students and pushes students towards dishonesty. A standardized, reasonable window for making up work, receiving support for missed lectures and taking tests should exist to lessen fear.
Finally, schools must work to restore the value of student presence. Classroom time should shift to experiences that cannot be replicated independently. Curriculum should abandon busy work and pick up applied learning essential for students’ lives and future paths. Chronic absenteeism is a symptom of disconnect, and while the current attendance policy attempts to wrestle students into desks, it cannot enforce engagement. It is time to build a system that respects student time and wellbeing, providing developmental support not found elsewhere. Then, showing up will be worth it.
