Chronic absenteeism rates at Maricopa Unified School District are lower than the state average, a recent study shows. 

A study from the U.S. Department of Education published by Profile Tree showed 41.2% of Arizona’s students were chronically absenteeism in the 2022-23 school year, meaning they missed at least 10% of the academic year.  

About 1 in 4 MUSD students were chronically absent that year, about average for the last four academic years. Last year’s rate was 26.09%. 

Dr. Amy Kramb, assistant superintendent of administrative services, told InMaricopa they monitor student attendance to “spot concerns early and step in before students fall too far behind.” 

“The first step is understanding why a student is missing school, because the resources needed will look different for every student,” she said. 

Data showed Arizona as one of the country’s worst states for chronic absenteeism, listed in fourth place with 458,493 of more than 1.1 million students not regularly attending school. 

Oregon, New Mexico and Alaska precede Arizona in higher absenteeism rates with rates ranging from 43-42%.  

The states with the lowest chronic absenteeism rates are New Jersey, Idaho and Virginia with rates ranging from 16-19%. 

Kramb said there are many reasons behind regularly missing school, including academic stress, health struggles, transportation issues and family concerns. When a student begins missing classes, it becomes a recurring cycle. 

“A student misses several days, falls behind and then may not want to come back because catching up feels overwhelming,” Kramb said. 

The academic impact is notable for students who are chronically absent. These students can fall behind in their classes, lose credits and have a harder time graduating. This has the greatest impact in high school, according to Kramb, because every course and credit counts toward an earned diploma. 

“We want to understand the factors in students’ lives that keep them from coming to school,” Kramb said. “[We want to] help remove those barriers when we can, and reconnect them with the resources and people they need to be successful.”