Report: 11 percent of Georgia students miss too much school
About one in 10 Georgia public school students miss too many days of school, according to a report released Friday.
The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution found 11 percent of Georgia students are chronically absent, meaning they miss 15 or more school days. The typical school year is 180 days.
Educators say students who are chronically absent from school often fall behind academically and are more likely to get into disciplinary trouble.
Only eight states had a lower percentage of students who are chronically absent from school, researchers found. Washington, D.C. had the highest rate at 29.6 percent while South Carolina had the lowest rate, 8.3 percent. The 32-page report was based on data collected by the federal government during the 2013-14 school year.
The Georgia Governor's Office of Student Achievement released a report in 2014 that found about one in six students move between schools each year.
About the Author
Eric Stirgus joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2001. He currently writes about higher education and has assisted in the newsroom’s COVID-19 vaccine coverage. Born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y., Eric is active in the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the Education Writers Association and enjoys mentoring aspiring journalists.
