District Report Card Shows K-12 Public School Attendance Dropped Statewide in Missouri, Pandemic Blamed

(MISSOURINET) –  The number of students absent from Missouri’s K-through-12 schools is rising. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education released its 2022 District Report Card this month. It shows school attendance statewide dropped from 85 percent in 2020 to 76 percent this year. Ashly McGinnis, assistant superintendent for the St. Joseph school district, says the drop in attendance led to underperformance in other major categories:

Attendance in the St. Joseph School District dropped from 84 percent in 2020 to 70-point-5 percent this year.