Attendance Recovery

Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

General Information | Eligibility | Limitations | Supervision | Other

Contacts

For questions on attendance for apportionment and instructional time, contact the Attendance Accounting Office at AttendanceAccounting@cde.ca.gov.

For questions on operating a high-quality AR program, contact the Educational Options Office at EOO@cde.ca.gov.

ADA Reporting

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does a student generate ADA through AR? (Updated 04-May-2026)

• AR ADA can only be claimed for apportionment once a student accrues an absence.
• Appropriately certificated teachers who are employees of the LEA supervise students in an AR classroom who are engaged in educational activities substantially equivalent to regular instruction and on standards-aligned content.
• The certificated teacher documents the student’s participation time, and the LEA maintains that documentation in daily or hourly increments, as appropriate to the duration of the AR sessions offered.
• The LEA tracks AR attendance separately from attendance generated during the regular school day.
• A student may accrue time in hourly increments to meet the applicable minimum daily minute requirement, after which the LEA may claim ADA from AR for any absences generated by the student.

A student generates a day of attendance after they have missed a day of instruction and participated in an AR program for the required number of hours under EC Section 46211(e), according to the following attendance accounting methods:

For school districts and county offices of education

A student generates a day of attendance through AR once the student participates for the minimum school day per grade span or instructional setting, pursuant to Article 2 (commencing with EC Section 46110) and Article 3 (commencing with EC Section 46140) of Chapter 2, Part 26 of the EC, except for county community schools, continuation high schools, juvenile court schools, and community day schools. For these settings, the instructional minute requirements under EC Sections 1983, 46170, 48645.3, and 48663 apply (EC Section 46211(e)(2)).

The Instructional Time and Attendance Accounting web page provides a summary of those minimum school day requirements.

For charter schools

A charter student generates a day of attendance through AR once they have participated for the minimum daily instructional minutes required of a school district student in the applicable grade span under EC sections 46112, 46113, 46117, and 46141 (EC Section 46211(e)(2)). See FAQ #12 below for more details.

2. How many days of attendance can a student recoup through AR? (Updated 04-May-2026)

A student can recoup up to ten absences through AR in a fiscal year (EC Section 46211(d)(1)).

An LEA can use AR participation time to offset absences that accrued in the attendance period being reported. Although a student can accumulate AR hours to potentially apply to a future absence, the LEA can only claim the make-up attendance for apportionment after the absence has occurred.

An absence can only be offset once. After an absence has been recouped by AR, it is not eligible for Saturday School, and vice versa.

Please see FAQ #11 on the "Requirements" tab for more on the limits to generating ADA through AR.

3. How is ADA from AR calculated? (Posted 04-May-2026)

AR ADA is calculated by dividing the days of student attendance generated through AR by the instructional days in the attendance period being reported. AR ADA is only reported when it can be directly linked to a student absence (see FAQs #1 and #2 above).

Days of attendance generated through AR are included in the calculation of regular, classroom-based ADA in the Principal Apportionment Data Collection (PADC) web application. It is important to include AR ADA with regular ADA for funding purposes.

AR ADA is also reported apart from all other ADA on a separate line in the PADC web application, for informational purposes.

Example Calculation: School District AR ADA, Second Principal Apportionment (P-2)

Note: AR ADA must be calculated on a student-by-student basis (see the table in FAQ #1 above) and reported in the appropriate grade span in the Principal Apportionment Data Collection (PADC) web application.

A school district is claiming attendance at P‑2, which is comprised of 150 days of instruction in this district.

The school district has 100 students and an average attendance rate of 90 percent. This generates 13,500 student days of attendance from the regular school day.

Excluding AR, the P‑2 ADA would be 90.

An AR class of 20 students in grades 9–12 all participated for two hours after school on ten days during the year.

In grades 9–12, the applicable minimum day to offset an absence is four hours.

Assuming each AR Day can be directly linked to a student absence and no more than ten days per student are claimed, this equates to 100 days of makeup attendance.

AR ADA is calculated by dividing the makeup days generated in AR by the regular scheduled instructional days.

The school district can claim an additional 0.67 ADA as a result. This AR ADA is reported on line B‑8 in PADC.

Including AR, the P‑2 ADA is 90.67.

To contribute to funding calculations, the AR ADA must be included in the Regular ADA totals reported on line A‑1 in PADC.

• The result of 0.67 is the AR ADA reported on Line B-8 in PADC.
• The result of 90.67 is the Regular ADA total reported on Line A-1 in PADC.
• Both ADA subtotals use the same denominator: days taught.

4. When are AR days of attendance able to be reported for ADA? (Posted 04-May-2026)

LEAs can only claim AR ADA for absences that have already occurred. If a student participated in AR before being absent, their AR hours can contribute towards making up a day of school they miss later in the same school year. ADA generated through AR is credited to the week in the attendance month when the student was absent.

If a student in AR makes up an absence from an attendance period that has already been reported, the LEA may revise the ADA reported for the period in question. For example, a student is absent for one day in February during the Second Principal attendance period (P-2). P-2 ADA is reported by May 1. The student then makes up the absence during an AR session in June. The LEA would include the day of make-up attendance in the revised P-2 ADA report.

5. How does an LEA claim attendance generated by students in an AR program)? (Updated 04-May-2026)

Once a student has earned a day of attendance through AR and this day has been assigned to an absence, the LEA can recoup ADA for the absence. The LEA will include the total recouped AR ADA in the regular, classroom-based ADA total submitted through the Principal Apportionment Data Collection (PADC) web application at the regular reporting periods (Period 1, Period 2, and Annual).

AR ADA is also reported separately from all other ADA in the PADC web application. LEAs should be aware that the AR ADA reported in this manner is used for informational purposes only, and does not affect the funding calculations.

6. Does a student have to meet the applicable minimum daily minute requirement in a single day in order for it to count for ADA? (Updated 04-May-2026)

No. A student may generate a day of attendance for apportionment by participating in AR over multiple days, accruing time in hourly increments (EC Section 46211(e)(1)). The teacher of each AR classroom must document these increments. Once this time meets the applicable minimum daily minute requirement, and the AR time can be applied to a student's absence, the LEA may claim a day of attendance for the attendance month when the absence occurred.

7. Is there a minimum amount of time in a day that an AR program must be scheduled in order to count for funding purposes? (Updated 04-May-2026)

Yes, a student’s participation time in AR may accumulate in increments of one hour, as documented by the supervising teacher. (EC Section 46211(e)(1)). When a student participates in an AR class for less than one hour, that time does not accrue towards meeting the applicable minimum daily minute requirement. Fractions of an hour do not carry forward. For example, a student who was in AR 1.5 hours on Monday and another 1.5 hours on Tuesday has accrued two hours of participation time, not three.

8. Do LEAs need to maintain hourly records of AR attendance? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

It depends. LEAs must maintain AR attendance in daily or hourly increments, as appropriate to the duration of the sessions offered.

Hourly accounting of attendance is appropriate if students meet their minimum daily minute requirement over multiple days. In this case, the AR teacher must document each hour of student attendance, and the LEA must make this supporting documentation available for the purpose of the annual audit process.

Daily accounting may be used when an AR session meets the minimum daily minute requirement in a calendar day, and in this case the hourly recordkeeping requirement does not apply.

9. Can an LEA track attendance in AR by the minute? (Updated 04-May-2026)

No. Attendance may be recorded in hourly increments, but not in minutes or fractions of an hour. Any participation documented in increments of less than one hour does not count toward meeting the required instructional time for AR.

10. If a student has only participated in half of the applicable minimum daily minute requirement under EC Section 46211(e), can the local educational agency claim a half-day of attendance? (Updated 04-May-2026)

No. A student's participation in AR for less than the applicable minimum daily minute requirements does not generate any attendance. A student in AR shall only be credited with a day of attendance after the applicable minimum daily minute requirement has been met (EC Section 46211(e)(1)).

11. How is the student cap on ADA applied when a student transfers between sites in a school district? (Updated 02-Sep-2025)

The student cap on ADA that can be claimed through AR applies to each student for the entire school year (EC Section 46211(d)(1)).

When a student transfers within the school district, the AR participation time they accrued at one school may be applied to absences that occurred at the destination school, provided that the district maintains a documentation trail for audit purposes. Best practice for a school district that offers AR is to check whether an incoming transfer student has completed AR days or hours at their previous school, in order to establish the number of absences that may be offset through AR that year at the destination school.

The annual audit procedures will verify the statutory requirements of AR programs, including the student cap and the minimum daily minutes required (EC Section 46211(d) and (e)).

12. Charter schools do not have minimum daily minute requirements for instructional time. How do they determine the days of ADA that a student has generated through participation in AR? (Updated 04-May-2026)

In order for a charter school student to accrue AR ADA, they must participate in AR for the minimum daily minute requirement listed below (EC Section 46211(e)(2)(B)). Please see EC sections 46112, 46113, 46117, and 46141 for reference.

13. Once a student has accrued enough AR participation time to meet the applicable minimum daily minute requirement and generate a day of attendance, does any further participation that same day count towards AR? (Updated 04-May-2026)

Yes. A student continues to accrue participation time in this case, provided that AR participation on a single calendar day does not generate more than one day of attendance for apportionment (ADA) (EC Section 46211(d)(1)). For example, if a student meets the threshold of the required number of hours to recoup a day of attendance, and participates further in AR that day, the extra time continues to accrue in hourly increments towards making up another absence (EC Section 46211(e)(1)).

14. If a student whose applicable minimum day is 180 minutes participates in 360 minutes of AR in a single day, do they generate two days of ADA? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

No. A student cannot generate more than one day of attendance for any calendar day of participation in AR (EC Section 46211(d)(1)). If a student whose minimum day requirement is 180 minutes (three hours) participates in six hours of AR on a Saturday, the student would generate one day of AR ADA plus three hours of participation time. This remainder time may be used to claim a day of ADA when the student participates in AR on a subsequent calendar day.

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Contacts

For questions on reporting ADA through the PADC Web Application, contact the Principal Apportionment Section at PASE@cde.ca.gov.

For questions on attendance for apportionment and instructional time, contact the Attendance Accounting Office at AttendanceAccounting@cde.ca.gov.

Absence Reporting

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Are LEAs required to submit AR days to the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS)? (Updated 04-May-2026)

Yes. LEAs will be required to submit days of AR attendance to CALPADS in order for the California Department of Education (CDE) to report an alternative chronic absenteeism rate that will be posted on the CDE’s website (EC sections 60901(c)(3) and 46211(d)(4)). However, the alternative chronic absenteeism rate will not affect the Chronic Absenteeism data reported on the Dashboard or DataQuest.

Beginning in the 2025–26 New End-of-Year (EOY) 1 submission, LEAs will be required to submit AR days to CALPADS on the Student Absence Summary (STAS) file and to certify those data as part of their New EOY 1 submission. Detailed information is forthcoming and will be provided from the LEAs CALPADS web page.

2. Does AR affect the chronic absenteeism rate? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

There is no immediate impact to the chronic absenteeism rate. Pursuant to EC Section 60901(b), LEAs that offer AR will separately report information on AR attendance. This information is required to be published on the California Department of Educaition's web site (EC sections 60901(c)(3) and 46211(d)(4)). 

3. Should the original attendance code in the student information system (SIS) be changed to reflect that a day of attendance was recovered in AR? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

No. While up to ten AR days may now be reported per enrolled student when attendance and absence data are submitted to CALPADS via the Student Absence Summary (STAS) file, all other fields in the STAS are to be populated the same. The absence field should not be adjusted based on AR days. As such, the code for the original absent day does not change in the SIS.

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Contacts

For questions on chronic absenteeism, contact the Educational Data Management Division at CALPADS@cde.ca.gov.

Attendance Recovery and Expanded Learning Opportunities Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

Eligibility | Supervision | Instructional Content | Allowable Use of Funds and Fees

Eligibility

1. Can an LEA offer both AR and Expanded Learning Opportunities Programming (ELO-P) at the same time? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

Yes. It is the legislature’s intent, as expressed in EC sections 46210(b)(2) and 46120(d)(3)(B), that LEAs be able to offer ELO-P and AR in conjunction to realize fiscal efficiencies and expand student access to ELO-P, while avoiding negative impacts on afterschool enrichment offerings. In this case, the distinct requirements for each program must be met (see FAQ #5 below).

2. Can an Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) student participate in AR? (Updated 04-May-2026)

Yes. Students may participate in both an ELO-P and AR concurrently, provided that participation in AR does not restrict a student's access to the full range of ELO-P services offered during the school year (EC Section 46211(c)). However, ELO-P and AR are separate and distinct programs with different purposes and documentation requirements. An LEA may operate both programs at the same time, but student participation in each program must be clearly differentiated - meaning a student is participating in either AR or ELO-P at any time, not both simultaneously.

Because ADA for AR is generated based on student participation, AR participation must be documented and reported either:

• In hourly increments, or
• By meeting minimum daily minute requirements, as applicable (EC Section 46211(e)).

This differs from how participation in ELO-P is documented where the LEA must track whether a student participated each day, but the length of time the student participates does not matter under EC Section 60902.

For example:

If a student is enrolled in ELO-P and also chooses to participate in AR during the same time period, the LEA must document that the student was participating in AR - not ELO-P - during that portion of time for apportionment and recordkeeping purposes.

All AR attendance must be tracked and documented separately using acceptable records (e.g., attendance logs, staff rosters demonstrating certificated LEA employment, program schedules, or supervisory records). This documentation is subject to verification during the LEA's Annual Audit (HZ. Attendance Recover, Section 1.f.).

3. Do AR students have to be Unduplicated Pupils to participate in an AR program offered in conjunction with its Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P)? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

No, students do not have to meet ELO-P eligibility requirements in order to participate in AR. The two state programs have distinct criteria for student participation, even when they are offered together at the same school site.

4. Can an LEA that has students on a waitlist for Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) enroll students in an AR program that is supported with ELO-P funds? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

The creation and implementation of a waitlist would be a locally based decision if an LEA meets the requirements to offer and provide access, as outlined in EC Section 46120(b).

An LEA cannot bypass a student on the ELO-P waitlist to enroll a student in AR that is not on the ELO-P waitlist.

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Supervision

5. Can an Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) instructor supervise students in an AR program? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

An ELO-P teacher may supervise students in AR if they are a certificated employee of the LEA (EC Section 46211(f)).

6. Do all Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) staff have to be certificated if the ELO-P program is operating in conjunction with AR? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

No, ELO-P and AR are separate programs with distinct requirements. If a local educational agency chooses to offer them in conjunction, the requirements under EC Section 46120 apply to students in ELO-P, and the requirements of EC Section 46211 apply to students in AR. In the case of a commingled classroom of students from both programs, the most stringent requirement applies, and the supervision requirements of EC Section 46211(f) must be met for all AR students in the classroom, as emphasized by EC Section 46120(d)(3)(B).

7. Must AR occur in a separate classroom from an Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P)? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

Statute does not preclude an AR classroom from having students present who are not participating in the program, so long as all conditions of apportionment are being met. The determination of whether ELO-P and AR programs are offered in the same classroom is a local level one and should be made based on the needs of the students.

• Example 1: A classified employee and a certificated employee of the LEA supervise a commingled group of up to 20 non-kindergarten students participating in ELO-P services, and up to 20 in AR, working on homework assignments and other content aligned to grade-level standards.
• Example 2: A certificated employee of the LEA supervises a classroom where 10 non-kindergarten students are engaged in enrichment activities and 10 non-kindergarten students receive instruction aligned to grade-level standards.
• Example 3: In a classroom containing kindergarteners, a certificated employee engages 10 students in enrichment activities and play, while in a certificated employee of the LEA leads up to 10 students in academic content.

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Instructional Content

8. Does the AR activity have to be instructionally related to content standards, or can it be another allowable Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) activity, as long as it is supervised by a certificated staff member? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

As a condition of funding, the educational activities that students are engaged in when they participate in AR must be substantially equivalent to their regular instructional program, and the educational content must be aligned to grade level standards (EC Section 46211(f)). This is a requirement of all AR programs, regardless of whether they are offered in conjunction with ELO-P.

9. If an LEA already offers academic support as part of its Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P), does that time now count as AR? (Updated 02-Sep-2025)

No. AR and ELO-P are distinct programs, each with their own audit requirements, even when they are run concurrently.

When ELO-P operates at the same time as AR, the AR program offering does not count towards meeting the ELO-P requirements.

The legislature’s intent is that access to ELO-P is not negatively affected when an LEA chooses to offer AR combined with ELO-P (EC Section 46210(b)).

10. Can a school district offer four hours of AR supervised by certificated employees of the district and five hours of ELO-P supervised by either certificated or classified staff? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

No, this offering does not provide AR as a voluntary option for students and would not meet the ELO-P minimum time requirement for a nonschoolday. AR hours do not count towards meeting the statutory requirement for the daily length of ELO-P activities.

It is the intent of the legislature that AR programs do not negatively affect expanded learning implementation (EC Section 46210(b)(2)). Moreover, AR is not compulsory and students concurrently participating in both AR and ELO-P retain the ability to participate in either program (EC Section 46211(c)).

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Allowable Use of Funds and Fees

11. Can Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) funding be used to support AR efforts? (Updated 02-Sep-2025)

ELO-P funds may be used to support AR if certain conditions are met (EC Section 46120(d)(3)(B)):

1. AR must be offered at the same time as ELO-P.
2. Both programs must be offered at the same school site.
3. The AR program must be operated by the LEA.

LEAs that wish to utilize ELO-P funding for AR must still meet all ELO-P program requirements. The LEA’s annual audit process will verify compliance with the programs’ requirements.

As emphasized by EC Section 46120(d)(3)(B), the apportionment-significant requirements of AR under EC Section 46211(d) through (g) will still apply to students participating in the AR program. This includes the supervision requirements under EC Section 46211(f).

It is the intent of the Legislature that operation of AR does not negatively impact ELO-P implementation, which is designed to improve regular schoolday attendance and student engagement. Additionally, LEAs should minimize fiscal impacts and expand student access to ELO-P when a parallel AR programs is operated to achieve fiscal efficiencies (EC Section 46210(b)).

It is the California Department of Education's Guidance that LEAs revise and update their ELO-P Plans to reflect how ELO-P funding will support AR if they wish to utilize some ELO-P fundings for that purpose.

12. What are the allowable uses of Expanded Learning Opportunity Program (ELO-P) funding when used to support AR? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

Consistent with current ELO-P policy, the California Department of Education (CDE) does not approve or deny individual LEA requests for allowable use of ELO-P funds for AR. ELO-P funding can be used to support AR provided that all such expenditures are necessary and reasonable for AR activity, and are adequately documented. Furthermore, those expenditures should be consistent with statute and the LEA's policies and procedures.

It is CDE’s Guidance that LEAs revise and update their ELO-P Plans to reflect how ELO-P funding will support AR if they wish to utilize some ELO-P funding for that purpose.

13. Can an LEA use Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) funds to offer AR to grades that are not served by the ELO-P? (Posted 20-Mar-2025)

To allocate ELO-P funds to AR for middle and high school students, an LEA must first meet the ELO-P funding requirements to offer and provide access to its students from Transitional Kindergarten/Kindergarten through 6th grade, pursuant to paragraphs 5 and 6 of EC Section 46120(g).

The LEA must ensure that the middle and high school students are also provided access to ELO-P. The LEA may not exclusively use ELO-P funds to offer AR to students without also providing access to ELO-P (EC sections 46120(c)(3) and 46211(c)).

Having fulfilled these criteria, the LEA may use ELO-P funds, as long as the requirements under EC Section 46120(d)(3)(B) are being met (see FAQ #7 under Attendance Recovery and ELO-P, above).

For example, an LEA satisfies all the ELO-P requirements for its TK/K-6 students and has offered ELO-P access to 7-8 grade students. It may then use ELO-P funds to operate AR for its grades 7-8 students on the same school site as its ELO-P activities, if the older students can elect to participate in ELO-P as well.

Additional ELO-P FAQs can be found on the California Department of Education's web page for the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program.

14. Can an LEA charge a fee in order for a student to participate in AR ? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

No. In general, public school students cannot be required to pay a fee to participate in an educational activity (EC Section 49011). Statute does not otherwise provide a means to charge students a fee to access AR.

15. Can a student be charged a fee for Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) on a day in which they participate in AR? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

No, students cannot be charged an ELO-P fee for any day in which the student participates in both ELO-P and AR. Pursuant to EC Section 49011, students that participate in AR cannot be charged a fee.

16. Can a student be charged a fee for Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELO-P) on a day when they did not participate in AR? (Posted 02-Sep-2025)

Yes. However, students that are foster youth, homeless and/or qualify for free and reduced-price meals cannot be charged a family fee. Students not within one of these categories can be charged a family fee. If an LEA charges a family fee, it must be done so on a sliding scale that adjusts the fee based on family income and ability to pay. LEAs shall allow families to demonstrate their eligibility for a family fee waiver, by way of self-certification, pursuant to EC Sections 46120(b)(5), 8483(e), and 8482.6. If an LEA charges family fees, the LEA must track and maintain accurate records of fees collected for program activities or services to students.

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Contacts

For questions on attendance for apportionment and instructional time, contact the Attendance Accounting Office at AttendanceAccounting@cde.ca.gov.

For questions on ELO-P, contact the Expanded Learning Division at ExpandedLearning@cde.ca.gov.

Resources

Guidance for Implementing High-Quality Attendance Recovery Programs

AR programs provide students with structured opportunities to recover missed instructional time and can contribute to improved academic and attendance outcomes. Pursuant to EC Section 46211(h), the California Department of Education (CDE) has provided guidance on this page as a resource to support LEAs in student engagement, ensure instructional continuity, and uphold standards of quality and equity.

Attendance Recovery Webinar(PDF)

The School Fiscal Services Division in collaboration with other Divisions of the CDE hosted a webinar on March 19, 2025 to inform local educational agencies of the requirements for operating compliant Attendance Recovery programs, starting in the 2025–26 school year.

Fiscal Year 2025–26 Attendance Accounting and Instructional Time Requirements Presentation

The School Fiscal Services Division recorded a webinar on August 19, 2025 that reviews the instructional time requirements that apply to LEAs, the methods for claiming ADA, and provides guidance on apportionment-significant requirements of AR and other programs.

Fiscal Year 2024–25 Attendance Accounting and Instructional Time Requirements Presentation (PDF)

The School Fiscal Services Division hosted a webinar on August 14, 2024 to provide a general overview of instructional time requirements, the methods for claiming ADA, and related topics. An overview of Attendance Recovery is provided in slides 69-88.

Correspondence

Notice of AB 176 Statutory Changes to Attendance Accounting and Instructional Time (Dated 08-Oct-2024)