Chronic absenteeism reached 43 percent districtwide, and every school needed a state-mandated corrective plan

What happened

A district presentation compared chronic absenteeism of 34 percent in 2023-24 with 43 percent in 2024-25 districtwide, with eleventh grade at 56.1 percent, 606 of 1,080 students. State rules require a corrective action plan at any school where 10 percent or more of pupils are chronically absent, and on February 26, 2026 the board approved student attendance corrective action plans for each of its 27 schools. The presentation was originally scheduled for the January meeting lost to snow and was carried forward.

Why it matters to families

Chronic absence is the single strongest predictor of whether a child reads, passes and graduates, and a rate of 43 percent means attendance is a districtwide condition rather than a problem of particular families. Every Trenton school is now operating under a plan a parent can ask to see.

The evidence

The presentation records 'Total 34% 43%' for the district and '11th Grade 409/976 = 41.9% 606/1080 = 56.1%', and quotes the rule that 'in the event that 10 percent or more of the students enrolled in a public school are chronically absent … the school shall develop a corrective action plan'. The February minutes then carry a 'Resolution to Approve the Student Attendance Corrective Action Plans for Each School'.

The source