San Diego Unified Sees Threefold Spike in Chronically Absent Students

A file photo of San Diego Unified School District in San Diego on Dec. 30, 2021. (Tina Deng/The Epoch Times)

The San Diego Unified School District has seen a threefold spike in chronically absent students from pre- to post-pandemic, according to state data.

The number tripled to 36.7 percent in 2022 from 12.4 percent in 2019, according to the California School Dashboard, a database by the state Education Department.

Students are considered chronically absent when they miss 10 percent of school days during a school year.

A district spokesperson told the Epoch Times in an email that most children miss school because of COVID-19 or other illnesses.

Roughly 42 percent of San Diego Unified students are vaccinated against COVID-19, but the district still advises those who show symptoms of sickness or COVID-19 to stay home.

Students who test positive for the virus must isolate for a minimum of five days and may return if a COVID-19 test administered on the fifth day is negative. Otherwise, they can only return 11 days after the initial onset of symptoms of sickness, according to district officials.

Some are chronically absent due to poor mental health, housing and food insecurities, unmet transportation needs, and inflation, the spokesperson said.

About 38 percent of the district’s students reported feeling sadness or hopelessness, while 15 percent said they’ve considered suicide, according to a recent study by Children Now, a California-based research advocacy organization.

The study also found that 14 percent of students were food insecure and that roughly half were low-income and qualified for reduced-price meals.

The spokesperson said the district is working on a variety of fronts to keep students in the classroom.

“San Diego Unified is committed to identifying the root causes of chronic absenteeism and is working to implement solutions and strategies to support families so all students can regularly attend school and thrive,” the spokesperson said.

Last summer, for example, the district created 14 new positions each tasked with reaching out to families, conducting home visits, and helping identify support or resources to get students back in school, according to the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also pointed to similar increases in chronic absenteeism in schools recorded across California and the nation since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statewide rate of chronically absent students rose to 30 percent during the 2021–22 school year from 12 percent in 2018–19, according to state education database EdData.