Attendance Matters

As part of the #AttendanceMattersWESD campaign, we are proud to continue spreading awareness of the importance of attendance! This year’s attendance campaign theme is We Excel by Showing up Daily, which highlights how consistent attendance supports academic achievement. In case you missed it, the WESD achieved an attendance rate of 92.02% for the 2024-2025 school year and reduced chronic absenteeism by 3%. The WESD strives to increase student attendance again while also reducing chronic absenteeism even more this school year – but we need your help!

Please help us in our efforts by making sure your child attends school each day and is on time. Remember, every day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning! Both excused and unexcused absences count toward chronic absenteeism, which is typically defined as missing 10% of the school year (about two days per month) for any reason. Chronic absenteeism can cause students to fall behind in school and affect their academic success.

Let’s excel by showing up daily, and make attendance a priority this school year! Be sure to follow the WESD on social media to keep up with all the great resources and tips we will be sharing throughout the school year.

What is Chronic Absenteeism?

Across the country, more than eight million students are missing so many days of school that they are academically at risk. Chronic absence — missing 10 percent or more of school days due to absence for any reason—excused, unexcused absences and suspensions, can translate into students having difficulty learning to read by the third-grade, achieving in middle school, and graduating from high school.

There’s a lot of information for students to learn and instruction begins when the bell rings. It’s very important that students are in their seats at the scheduled start of the school day. There are three start times in WESD – 7:30 a.m., 8:15 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Families play a vital role in setting expectations for good attendance and tracking their child’s absences. If there are barriers to getting children to school on time, please work with your child’s school for possible solutions.