Nearly one student in four misses a tenth of the school year

What happened

The state's performance report puts Pemberton's chronic absenteeism at 23.2% in 2023-24 - almost one student in four absent for a tenth of the year or more - against a statewide average of 14.9%. The district has missed the state accountability target in each of the last three reported years, though the rate is coming down from 30.1% in 2021-22 and 24.3% in 2022-23. The superintendent has made it a stated priority in three separate video messages and reported in June 2026 that it continued to fall.

Why it matters to families

Attendance is the single strongest predictor of whether a child learns to read at grade level, which is why the district ties it to its new reading programme. At this rate roughly a thousand Pemberton students a year are missing that much school.

The evidence

The 2023-24 New Jersey school performance report gives a chronic absenteeism rate of 23.2% against an ESSA target - the statewide average for the grades served - of 14.9%, marked 'Not Met', with 24.3% against 16.6% in 2022-23 and 30.1% against 18.1% in 2021-22, all 'Not Met'. The superintendent's August 31, 2026 message names reducing chronic absenteeism as a priority for the year and his June 25, 2026 message reports the rate continuing to decrease.

The source