Central, South See Hikes In Chronic Absenteeism

HINSDALE, IL – More students are chronically absent at Hinsdale Central and South high schools than there used to be, according to state data released this week.

The state tracks the rate of students who are absent 10 percent or more of the days in a school year, whether excused or not. For a 180-day year, that means a student missed at least 18 days, or 3½ weeks

At Central, 21 percent of students were chronically absent last school year, up from 6 percent in the 2019-2020 year.

South has risen to 26 percent, from 10 percent in the 2019-2020 year.

Elmhurst's York High School saw a particularly high increase last school year, to 37 percent. Its rate stood at 10 percent in 2019-2020.

Lyons Township High School saw a drop in chronic absenteeism. According to the data, 24 percent were chronically absent last school year, down from 28 percent the previous year. The rate was 6 percent in 2019-20.

Average daily attendance has dropped at area schools, including Central and South.

At Central, the average attendance was 93 percent last school year, compared with a six-year high of 97 percent in 2021.

At South, the rate was 91 percent last year, down from the six-year high of 95 percent in 2020.

According to the Illinois State Board of Education, students need daily instruction to succeed. Those who are chronically absent are at risk of suffering academic and social problems, the state says.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM
Here are the percentages of students who missed at least 10 percent of days in a school year with or without a valid excuse:

Hinsdale South High School
2023 26%
2022 23%
2021 17%
2020 10%
2019 17%
2018 16%

Hinsdale Central High School
2023 21%
2022 20%
2021 6%
2020 6%
2019 9%
2018 13%

York High School
2023 37%
2022 22%
2021 7%
2020 10%
2019 10%
2018 15%

Lyons Township High School
2023 24%
2022 28%
2021 6%
2020 6%
2019 13%
2018 11%

AVERAGE DAILY ATTENDANCE
Here are the rates of average daily attendance:

Hinsdale South High School
2023 91%
2022 92%
2021 94%
2020 95%
2019 94%
2018 93%

Hinsdale Central High School
2023 93%
2022 93%
2021 97%
2020 96%
2019 95%
2018 94%

York High School
2023 89%
2022 91%
2021 96%
2020 96%
2019 95%
2018 94%

Lyons Township High School
2023 92%
2022 92%
2021 97%
2020 97%
2019 95%
2018 95%