Absenteeism Is a Major Problem. So Why Can’t Schools Agree on How to Measure It?

In fact, when Iowa put together comprehensive legislation in 2024 to address the state’s attendance problem, it became clear that different counting methods made it impossible to compare attendance statewide. Starting with the 2025-26 school year, the state mandated that all districts use the same method to count attendance. For the most part, school attendance policies fall into three buckets:If you are present for any part of the school day, you are counted as attending. But there are some signs that a growing number of schools are opting to get granular and track student attendance per minute. Part of this effort is not only collecting more information about student attendance, but sharing that data quickly and accurately.