More Than 1.8 Million California Students Chronically Absent Since Pandemic

More than 1.8 million students in California have become chronically absent since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent report.

Empty chairs at Paularino Elementary School, of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, in Costa Mesa, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

More than 1.8 million students in California have become chronically absent since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a recent report.

The growing rate of chronic absentee students—meaning those who have missed 10 percent or more of classes in a semester—threatens academic recovery from the pandemic, according to Stanford University professor Thomas S. Dee, who last month published a report on the issue.