(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis - Oct 31, 2015)
- Additional changes to the statewide absentee policy are expected to be presented during the upcoming legislative session.
Mississippi’s chronic absenteeism rate in its public school system has declined by just over 1% compared to the previous year.
The drop in the rate comes in a school year when the Mississippi Department of Education implemented newly adopted school attendance policies passed by the Legislature.
A student is considered chronically absent when they miss 10% or more of the school year, or a total of 18 school days or more. To be counted as present for a school day, students are required to attend at least 63% of an instructional day.
During the 2025-2026 school year, the state education department reports the chronic absenteeism rate was 26.5%, a 1.1% decrease from the 2024-2025 school year when the rate was 27.6%.
Changes are coming next school year when MDE moves to the federal standard of a student being present for at least 50% of the day.
“While absenteeism is trending in the right direction this year, we have to do more to impress upon parents to make sure their kids are in school,” House Education Committee Chairman Rob Roberson (R) told Magnolia Tribune.
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dennis DeBar (R) agreed.
“This is a trend in the right direction and school districts should be commended for their increased emphasis on school attendance,” DeBar said.
Among grades K-12, MDE noted the highest chronic absenteeism rates were found in grades 6-12, a bit lower in kindergarten and first grade, and the lowest in grades 2-5.
The Mississippi Legislature has been working to put policies in place that will decrease the chronic absenteeism rate. Roberson and DeBar worked during the 2026 legislative session to ultimately pass a bill that made adjustments to the way students are counted absent, a change that took place this school year. The provisions set a limit of five excused absences per semester while allowing for medical exemptions and participation of a student in most school activities.
“Some of the remarks that I’ve gotten over the new policies have been from parents who want to take their kids out for vacation time,” Roberson said. “I would advise them to start preparing that time while the children are already out of school. The district can forgive educational and health related absences already.”
More changes to the public school attendance policy are anticipated to come during the upcoming legislative session.
“As we get closer to the 2027 legislative session I look forward to hearing from districts on their ideas on how to modify the attendance law as passed in the 2026 session,” DeBar told Magnolia Tribune.
Of the total absences during the 2025-26 school year, 64% were unexcused, leaving 36% as excused.
“It is encouraging to see a decrease in the state’s chronic absenteeism rate. This tells us that schools, districts, and families are doing what’s necessary to ensure more students get to school to receive essential and valuable instruction,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Lance Evans said. “The MDE’s goal is to see this rate fall even more and support families in removing barriers that result in a student missing school.”
Data collected over the school year has been sent to districts to help local education leaders form policies to establish their own path forward to address their absenteeism rate.
Since 2016, MDE has released data collected on absenteeism rates, with the lowest rate of 13% reported in the 2018-19 school year. The highest rate of 28% was recorded during the 2021-2022 school year, in part due to influences caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that started in 2020.
According to MDE’s report on the 2025-26 school year, the district with the lowest absenteeism rate was East Jasper School District at 11.2%. The traditional public school district with the highest rate was Coffeeville with a rate of 51.2% and Reimagine Prep, a public charter school district, had a rate of 54.9%.
Nine schools reported absenteeism rates under 5%: Northwest Middle, Carver Elementary, Bailey APAC Middle, Natchez Early College at Co-Lin, Barack Obama Elementary, French Camp Elementary, Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Ruleville Middle and Bowmar Avenue.
Several schools, all high schools, reported rates at or above 60%, including Port Gibson High School (67.4%), Greenwood High School (64.3%), Terry High School (60.7%), Holmes County High School (59.6%), Provine High School (62%), Shannon High School (66.1%), Ridgeland High School (60%), McComb High School (59.9%), Northside High School (66.1%), Magee High School (64.2%), Gentry High School (66.7%) and Yazoo City High School (68.5%).
