Michelle Wu, BPS superintendent join door-knocking push to keep chronic absenteeism down ahead of first day of classes

On the final day of summer vacation for most BPS students, the mayor, superintendent and a host of volunteers made a big push to keep kids in classes and chronic absenteeism down this school year.

“We see nationally, we have chronic absenteeism going in the wrong direction,” BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper said. “I think here in Boston, we’ve made a really good impact, but that’s not enough.

“There are students that are chronically absent, and if we don’t intervene, they will drop out,” Skipper added. “And so we’re trying, at the earliest possible moment, to just be with students in their home, let them know we care about you, and there’s lots of supports and resources here.”

Skipper and Wu joined volunteers from the Re-Engagement Center (REC) to knock on doors of kids with a history of chronic absenteeism, offer information on support resources, and pass out school supplies and gift cards. Chronic absenteeism is defined as students missing 10% of school days, or 18 days total.

BPS students in grades 1-12 return to school Thursday, followed by pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students next Monday.

The district projects a 4% to 6% decrease in chronic absenteeism in the last school year compared to school year 2022-23, BPS officials said. Chronic absenteeism in BPS hit a pandemic-era high in the 2021-22 school year at 42%, before dropping to 35% in the 2022-23 school year.

Across Massachusetts, according to DESE data released last fall, chronic absenteeism decreased from 28% in the 2021-22 year to 22% in the 2022-23 year. From 2019 to 2023, the department said, chronic absenteeism grew 72%.

The REC volunteers knocked on 300 doors on Wednesday, part of an ongoing strategy to reach out to students at risk and offer supports.

Following one visit with 10th-grade O’Bryant High student Amari Pina and his grandmother, Skipper remarked on the “real impact of meeting the student and the family where they are.” Just from a single conversation, she added, the team learned Amari liked math and video games and formed a connection.

“He could be coding video games,” said Skipper. “He might not even know what that looks like, but now we know that about him. That’s important information to go back with. You learn so much just in a few moments when you talk with students and parents, taking that time is important.”