Since the Covid-19 pandemic, school attendance across the country has suffered. According to the Department of Education, chronic absenteeism—defined as missing around two days of school per month—skyrocketed in recent years, ranging from 31% during the 2021-2022 school year to 28% throughout the 2022-2023 school year. Chronic absenteeism hampers efforts to increase student achievement and access to resources. 

The greater Pekin community is not immune to these challenges, yet our counselors, teachers, administration, families, and community partners continue to face these challenges head on, resulting in positive trends, including a decrease in chronic absenteeism since its peak in 2022. Despite this, we still have more work to do in order to return to pre-pandemic numbers. This year, PCHS Attendance Committee heads up the high school’s task force committed to getting more students in our doors and ready to learn. Like last year, the task force continues to celebrate student attendance with monthly incentive events such as Dunkin’ Day, sweet treats and prizes, and a broad-reaching awareness campaign complete with specially-designed t-shirts, posters, and other media, much of it designed by PCHS students.

In addition, PCHS has worked to meet the needs of students who struggle to make it to school. In recent school years, PCHS has added more support professionals positions to its staff, including an additional school nurse, school counselor, dean, Children’s Home counselor, and social worker. The school has also created the position of school-to-home liaison who works directly with families of struggling attenders, getting students resources and visiting homes. 

So many of our students thrive in our school where our teachers can work with them one-on-one; our counselors, student services team, and others provide important resources and support; and club and activity sponsors can spark student interest. We know that students who come to school often become adults who show up to work, and when students attend school, they not only learn the value of hard work and reap its rewards, they build other soft skills that we know our students need to flourish after high school. Like so many school districts across the country, we continue to collaborate with families and community partners to encourage students to attend school every day because their presence matters. For instance, over 35 community members will be sharing how they use their education in current jobs through our Future Focus Day program. 

If you’d like to support this cause, consider hanging an Attendance Matters poster—designed by PCHS student Emma Kroll—in your business or organization. Posters are available in the principal’s office. For more information, reach out to Principal Shayla Ewing.