Newark Public Schools’ Attendance Is Up, Chronic Absenteeism Down

NEWARK, N.J. – Newark Public Schools continues to make progress on increasing student attendance during the 2024-2025 school year, with overall attendance on the rise and chronic absenteeism in decline three years in a row across all grade levels.

Districtwide, the average attendance rate for the more than 40,000 students in pre-K through 12th grade was 95.1%, an increase from 94.8% in the previous school year, according to Rochanda Jackson, Executive Director of the Office of Policy, Planning, Evaluation & Testing who presented the data at last night’s Board of Education meeting.

Jackson also reported:

• Elementary school students (pre-K to 8): Attendance rose to 95.5%, up from 95% in 2023–2024.
• High school students: Attendance improved to 94.4%, compared to 93.3% the prior year.
• Students in specialized schools: Attendance reached 94.6%, up from 94.2% last year.

At the same time, the district's overall chronic absenteeism rate fell again from 12.1% to 10.4%.

• Among elementary school students, chronic absenteeism dropped to 8.8%.
• Among high school students, the rate declined to 14.1%.
• Among students in specialized schools, the rate was 14.4%.

“These results reflect the hard work of our families, staff, and community partners to keep students engaged, supported, and present,” said Superintendent León. “In particular, I want to acknowledge the Office of Attendance, the Truancy Task Force, attendance counselors, and court representatives.”

“These encouraging numbers show that our students and families are responding to the district’s efforts to build a culture of daily attendance,” said Hasani K. Council, President of the Newark Board of Education. “When students are present, they’re positioned for success. We will continue working to ensure that every child in Newark is supported and empowered to show up, every single day.”