The kids are not alright. Here’s how philanthropy can help  

In the 2021-22 school year, only one in three fourth graders in the United States was reading at grade level, only one in four eighth graders was proficient in math, and rates of chronic absence had skyrocketed. These trends, highlighted in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, are alarming: Too few children are graduating from high school ready to earn because many aren’t arriving ready to learn—or not regularly attending school at all. 

The pandemic’s impact on chronic absence 

Chronic absence—missing at least 10% of school days in one academic year—is a significant driver of the low literacy and numeracy skills reflected in the KIDS COUNT data. The number of chronically absent students nearly doubled from 16% in the 2018–19 school year to 30% in 2021–22. Nationally, 30% of all students, or nearly 15 million kids, were chronically absent during the 2021–22 school year, when in-person learning largely resumed. And two-thirds of all students attended schools where at least 20% of students were chronically absent, often resulting in slower progress for whole classrooms. 
 
Though the problem of chronic absence predates COVID-19, the pandemic further disrupted the daily routine of families and exacerbated existing causes such as housing insecurity, unmet basic needs, and student disengagement. Evolving school rules about illness as well as anxiety and other mental health issues stemming from the pandemic have also kept children home. 

Partnering with schools and communities to reduce chronic absence 

We know that all kids benefit from being at school. This is especially true for those who are living in poverty, have experienced trauma, or are facing other challenges. Schools provide many children with access to food, tutoring, technology, mental health services, and nurturing relationships with adults.  
 
Yet, it’s clear that school districts don’t have enough resources to overcome the multiple challenges they and their students face. Funders can make a difference by partnering with schools and communities to provide the wraparound support kids need to attend school regularly. 
 
Transportation and health care. Philanthropy can invest in practical solutions to improve attendance and well-being. For example, funding more school buses can help get kids to school every day. Supporting community health care networks that provide school-based care and counseling can help keep kids healthy and ready to learn. 
 
Tutoring. To help kids make up for lost classroom time, funders can work with nonprofits to enhance the tutoring programs at least 16 states have launched. These efforts align with research that shows the most effective tutoring is in person, conducted one-on-one or in very small groups at least three times a week, and tied directly to the curriculum. It’s not too late for these programs to help students catch up. 
 
Community schools. Another way to help kids get back on track is through community schools—public schools designed to provide students and their families with academic, social, and health services such as tutoring, mental health support, nutritional assistance, and other resources. Early research has shown that community schools helped families meet basic needs and strengthen support systems during the pandemic. 
 
Data. Schools need robust, real-time data to know how many students are missing school or struggling, and which interventions are most effective. Investing in public-private partnerships to provide strong data infrastructure helps schools and community programs better understand the challenges students face and work toward solutions to chronic absence inside and outside the school building. 
 
Helping kids overcome the barriers that have delayed and derailed their learning—and setting them up to thrive as they grow—is critical to the strength of every community. Philanthropy can’t solve the problem of chronic absence alone, but our expertise, relationships, and dollars can help catalyze solutions that will set our young people on the road to a bright future. 

Photo credit: Inside Creative House via Getty Images