Nearly one in every three Kentucky students were considered chronically absent last school year, according to new state education data released Tuesday.
The Kentucky Department of Education released its comprehensive state and local test score data from the 2022-23 school year on Tuesday.
The data shows nearly 30% of Kentucky’s students in k-12 were considered chronically absent. For Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky’s largest school district, it’s 38% districtwide.
The state’s next largest school district, Fayette County in Lexington, is just shy of 30%.
Students are considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of the school year.
For comparison, during the 2018-19 school year before the pandemic, Kentucky saw 18% of its students classified as “chronically absent.”
The state’s interim commissioner of education said a combination of reasons have played a role in nearly doubling that number since then. That includes the pandemic, flooding and tornadoes.
Other districts around Jefferson County, such as Hardin and Bullitt counties, had about 25% chronically absent students. Oldham County saw about 14% of its students be chronically absent.
The students missing the most number of days are often homeless or attending alternative schools.
As for graduation rates, the percentage of Kentucky students graduating high school is higher than it was before the pandemic, but the state’s two largest districts fall short of the state average.
In 2019, just shy of 91% of Kentucky students graduated, and in 2023 more than 91% of students walked across the stage.
Source: WDRB
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