This graph shows the percentage of students who miss 5 percent or more of school days per year without a valid excuse. By selecting, “Show 5-year trend,” you can see changes in the student population over time. District and state data is included for comparison.

Illinois law defines “chronic truant” as a student who misses 5 percent of school days within an academic year without a valid excuse. That’s nine days of an average 180-day school year. The count of chronically truant students does not include students with excused absences, such as doctors’ appointments or students over the age of 16, who are not legally required to attend school. Chronic truants are at risk of academic and behavioral problems. Research shows that chronic truancy has been linked to serious delinquent activity in youth and to significant negative behavior and characteristics in adults.

• Finding effective solutions to truancy (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

• Truancy Reduction: Keeping Kids in School (Department of Justice)

• Student Absenteeism