Chronic Absenteeism Improves in Indiana for Fourth Consecutive Year

Statewide chronic absenteeism rates improve more than six percentage points since 2022

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INDIANAPOLIS - For the fourth consecutive year, chronic absenteeism rates continue to move in a positive direction statewide, improving by more than six percentage points since its peak in 2022 following the pandemic.

According to the Indiana Department of Education, this includes year-over-year improvements for all grade levels and nearly every student population.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10 percent of school days or about three and a half weeks, including both excused and unexcused absences. Overall, Indiana’s chronic absenteeism rate for the 2025-2026 school year was 14.9 percent, an improvement of 1.8 percentage points from the previous school year. 

All grade levels saw improvements for the fourth consecutive year. Rates of chronic absenteeism continue to be highest among high school students, with 30 percent of students chronically absent their senior year.

"We know students benefit from being in school, learning directly from their teachers and building relationships with their classmates,” said Governor Mike Braun. “Indiana has now seen four straight years of improvement in school attendance. That means more students are getting the support and education they need to succeed. We're building on that progress by continuing to strengthen academics and by connecting what students learn in school to meaningful opportunities in their chosen career path, whether that be enrollment, employment, or enlistment. When it comes to preparing our kids for the future, every day counts."

Indiana continues to elevate the importance of school attendance through a transparent Attendance Insights dashboard, which publicly displays longitudinal attendance and chronic absenteeism data at the grade-, school- and corporation-level. As Indiana prepares to issue new A-F letter grades later this year, consistent school attendance is also one of several Student Success Indicators that allow students to generate more points towards their school’s overall accountability grade.

Local School District Stats

*Stats provided by the Indiana Department of Education