ELMHURST, IL – Like schools everywhere, the Elmhurst district has seen improvements in attendance since the pandemic.
The district reports that attendance in elementary schools is better now than before the pandemic.
At Tuesday's school board meeting, officials highlighted the improvement at Churchville Middle School.
As of last school year, 91 percent of Churchville's students showed up more than 90 percent of the time. That's up from 72 percent six years ago.
Churchville is now 1 percentage point below the average for the district's three middle schools.
More than 40 percent of Churchville's students come from low-income families, compared with about 6 percent at Sandburg and Bryan middle schools.
One way to improve attendance, Churchville's principal said, is reviewing incoming students' fifth-grade attendance records. Administrators identify students who are absent at least 15 percent of the time.
"For these students and families, we send a personalized welcome mailing that includes information about locker day, an introduction to our counselor and details that make the transition familiar and manageable," Principal Gina Reeder said. "We also handed a small welcome bag with Churchville spirit wear and school supplies."
The second strategy, she said, was connecting a student with a "preferred" adult, who checks in and offers encouragement.
"The goal is for students to know that somebody will notice when they are absent, welcome them back when they return, and help them through whatever may be making attendance difficult," Reeder said.
Check the data on the percentages of Elmhurst students who showed up more than 90 percent of the time:
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