South Dakota schools fighting back against chronic absenteeism

Education Department sends millions in grants to districts in hopes of finding solutions

More than a fifth of students enrolled in South Dakota schools aren’t consistently making it to class.

But school districts across the state are hoping to combat chronic absenteeism — when a student misses 10 percent or 15 days of a school year — with new programming aimed at helping families and students overcome barriers keeping them from attending school regularly.

According to Department of Education statewide data, 21 percent of students were chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year. And while that’s down slightly from the 22 percent chronic absentee rate DOE reported the year prior, it’s still well beyond pre-pandemic rates that hovered around 13 percent, according to a review of DOE data by The Dakota Scout.

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