Norwalk Public Schools Recognized Statewide, Nationally For Reducing Chronic Absenteeism: District

NORWALK, CT — Norwalk Public Schools is being recognized at the state and national levels for its work to reduce chronic absenteeism as it continues to lead other large Connecticut cities in academic performance and growth on state assessments, the district announced Thursday.

According to a news release provided by NPS, the district's chronic absenteeism rate now trends lower than the Connecticut state average, and national partners such as Attendance Works are taking notice.

Norwalk Public Schools saw its chronic absenteeism rate drop to 15.4 percent among all students in 2025-26, a 2.5 percentage point decrease from the previous year, according to the district.

"Reducing chronic absenteeism is one of the most important ways we can help every student succeed, from reading on grade level by third grade to thriving in middle school and graduating on time," Interim Superintendent Sandra Faioes said in a news release. "I'm grateful for the dedication our students, families, teachers and school leaders have shown, with support from the district, to make daily attendance a shared priority."

In August, the Connecticut State Department of Education invited district leadership back for the second year in a row to discuss the efforts NPS has made to reduce chronic absenteeism and the continued improvement the district has shown in academic achievement and growth in mathematics and English language arts on the Smarter Balanced assessments, according to the district.

Norwalk Public Schools was one of four districts invited to present to CSDE Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker and her team, and the only district from Fairfield County, according to the district.

The commissioner's office has also invited NPS leadership to present its chronic absenteeism success at state and national conferences, according to the district.

According to the district, the Connecticut State Department of Education released results from the spring 2026 state assessments and chronic absenteeism data on Aug. 31.

"Academic performance in Connecticut improved across all student groups in English language arts, mathematics and science in 2026, while chronic absenteeism continued to decline," the release reads.

According to the district, NPS continues to rank highest among other large Connecticut cities in the performance index for English language arts, mathematics and science.

"The district also exceeded its large-city peers in proficiency for all three subjects," the release reads. "The performance index is the best measure of overall average achievement across standard and alternate assessments in a content area, while proficiency reflects the percentage of students who met or exceeded state standards."

Norwalk Public Schools also ranked first among other large Connecticut cities for academic growth in English language arts and mathematics, according to the district.

Academic growth, which is not measured in science, is a leading indicator of student achievement because it measures the pace of student learning during a school year, the release notes.

According to the district, Norwalk Public Schools' graduation rate exceeded 90 percent for the fourth consecutive year.

The Class of 2025 earned a 92.5 percent graduation rate, exceeding the state's graduation rate for the 2025 cohort and surpassing every other Connecticut city with a population over 70,000 by more than 6 percentage points, according to the district.

A full presentation of the district's state assessment results and chronic absenteeism data was shared during the Norwalk Board of Education business meeting Tuesday and is available for streaming on the NPS YouTube Channel, according to the district.