Oregon schools have among the highest absenteeism rates in the country, state data shows, and it’s a problem that has persisted since students returned to school following the COVID pandemic nearly five years ago.
Roughly one-third of Oregon students in 2024 were considered chronically absent, meaning they missed 17 or more school days during the school year in a state with one of the shortest school years in the country. About one-fifth of students nationwide were chronically absent in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
Repeal and replace
Among the recommendations state education officials offered are to repeal 11 state statutes relating to compulsory school attendance and to replace them with statutes that “would include compulsory attendance requirements and exemptions,” and also outline the responsibilities of guardians and school districts when it comes to student attendance. The report described some state attendance laws as “outdated” and “duplicitive,” and said some homeschooling regulations are wrapped into attendance laws.