Over eight million students miss nearly a month of school each year. Research shows that missing ten percent of school negatively affects a students academic performance.

“Missing school affects your grades, because if you’re not here at school to learn the lessons and retrieve your work you’ll fall behind in terms of assignments. I know personally whenever I’m not here it’s sometimes hard to remember to grab missing assignments and those kind of pile up If you’re gone a lot. Additionally there will be some concepts and notes that teachers will talk about If you’re not here to hear them talk about it then you will just fall behind and you won’t know,” junior Christian Bragga said.

When students improve their attendance rates they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating (attendanceworks.org).

“It is important to come to school because you get to learn and get to know what you are going to do for your later life,” freshman Jackson Rohne said.

 According to research, attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students. 

“If you are going to go to college this is a great place to prepare for that and if you’re gonna get a job it’s good practice. One of the things an employer wants from you is to show up everyday and ontime so it’s good practice,” Spanish teacher Peter Hult said.

In addition to falling behind in classes students who are not in school on a regular basis are more likely to get in trouble with the law and cause problems in their communities according to research.