School Absentee Rates: How Does Vernon Rank?

VERNON, CT – The chronic absenteeism rate in Vernon last school year was 10.0 percent, just

above the state average.

Hartford had the worst chronic absenteeism rate in the state last year, at 22.4 percent; the best
chronic absenteeism rate in the state was Hebron, at 1.6 percent.

Chronic absence is defined as missing 10 percent or greater of the total number of days enrolled
during the school year for any reason.

It includes both excused, unexcused, out-of-school suspensions, and in-school suspensions that
last more than one-half of the school day. For example, a student who has been enrolled for the
first 30 school days at the beginning of the school year and has been absent three of those days is
chronically absent.

Over the last school year, rates of chronic absenteeism in Connecticut schools fell in every
student subgroup and in the state overall, continuing a trend that started during the 2012-13
school year. From the 2014-15 school year to the 2015-16 school year, the rate of chronic
absence fell from 10.6 percent to 9.6 percent statewide.

“Tackling chronic absenteeism is critical to improving outcomes for all of our students so that
they receive an adequate education that prepares them to succeed in life,” Governor Dan Malloy
said in a prepared statement. “We need to do everything we can to ensure that all students,
regardless of the life circumstances into which they are born or what town or city they live in,
receive a quality public education. Because of the recent efforts of teachers, school districts, the
state, and families, nearly 10,000 more students are consistently attending class than four years
ago. We need to do everything we can to make progress in our efforts to provide students with
the best educational opportunities possible.”

By Jack Kramer, Patch Correspondent

Patch File Photo