It’s just common sense that students who are able to regularly attend school are more likely to perform at grade level in reading and math, and eventually graduate on time. But during the 2024-26 school year, approximately one-fourth of Ohio students were considered chronically absent (missing two or three days per month).

Addressing such a challenge will require having the information to get a handle on each students’ situations. To that end, the state has unveiled an attendance dashboard that should give schools another tool in the effort.

“The goal is to spot trouble early and help schools take action faster,” said Gov. Mike DeWine.

That action will no longer be just sending home warning letters.

“This is a major step forward in how we track and respond to attendance issues in Ohio. To our knowledge, Ohio is only the second state in the country to develop an attendance dashboard that provides weekly updates,” said Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Director Stephen D. Dackin. “For the first time, schools and communities in Ohio will have access to weekly attendance information that can help them spot trends, identify challenges early, and respond with the right supports before students fall behind.”

For example, Marietta City Schools had a 23.2% chronic absenteeism rate in the most recent data, which was a reduction of 0.92% from the previous period. In fact, of the 2,029 enrolled in the district, only 41% have a “satisfactory” attendance record. Thirty-five percent are deemed “at-risk,” and the other 15% and 8% are in the “moderate” and “severe” absenteeism categories, respectively. Drilling down into that kind of data will help Marietta City Schools officials find better approaches to supporting many of those kids.

School districts are still being added to the dashboard, though DeWine said “We hope — and we expect — that every school and district in Ohio will do the work to get their data on the dashboard”

They must. Knowledge is power, and knowledge about chronic absenteeism by students could give families, teachers and administrators more power to steer those students in the right direction.