Chronic Absenteeism Indicator

This indicator, reported on the California School Dashboard, applies to districts and schools with students in transitional kindergarten through grade 12 (TK–12).

What is this Indicator?

The Chronic Absenteeism Indicator is one of several state indicators that the California Department of Education (CDE) reports on the California School Dashboard (Dashboard). It represents the percentage of students who were absent for 10 percent or more of the instructional days they were expected to attend.

For most of the other state indicators, the desired outcome is to have a high percentage in the current year and an increase in percentage from the prior year. However, for this indicator, the desired outcome is reversed and the goal is to achieve a low chronic absenteeism rate.

This indicator is reported on the Dashboard for any local educational agency (LEA) and school that enrolls students in transitional kindergarten (TK) through grade eight. Students must be enrolled for at least 31 instructional days to be included in the chronic absenteeism indicator. This indicator is not reported for high schools and does not include students in grades 9-12. While the Chronic Absenteeism Indicator is limited to data from grades TK through grade eight, data is collected on grade levels (TK through grade twelve) and results can be accessed through the CDE Absenteeism Data web page.

Additional Reports

Designed for educators, the School Dashboard Additional Reports offer information and data beyond what are reported on the Dashboard, including summarized views across all state indicators. One report specific to this indicator is the:

2026 Five-by-Five Chronic Absenteeism Placement Report (Included in the Supplemental Dashboard Release on December 15, 2026)

Resources

General Information about the Indicator

Chronic Absenteeism flyer (PDF)

Technical Information about the Indicator

Dashboard Technical Guide - The technical guide is the key to unlocking how state indicators are calculated on the Dashboard. The technical guide is broken up into multiple "mini-guides" for ease of access and provides explanations on the calculation formulas and business rules.
Connecting the Dashboard to CALPADS Reports (PDF) - A user-friendly flyer to help you confirm your California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS) data before it is used for the Dashboard.
The District of Special Education Accountability Rule for Students with Disabilities -The District of Special Education Accountability is applied to all state indicators, including Chronic Absenteesim. Download the flyer from the Flyers for Educators section on the CDE Dashboard Communications Toolkit web page.
DataQuest: Absenteeism by Reason Report - Additional information on the counts and reasons for absences for TK-12 students can be found on DataQuest.
Crosswalk Between the California School Dashboard and DataQuest(DOCX) - This document provides a short overview of the differences in the way that data are produced for the Dashboard and DataQuest. For instance, while the Dashboard reports out on chronic absenteeism for grades TK-8, DataQuest provides information on grades TK-12.
Downloadable Data Files: Chronic Absenteeism - Access statewide LEA, school, and student group Dashboard chronic absenteeism rate results.
Downloadable Data Files: Absenteeism Data - Access reports and data about student absenteeism, including absenteeism by reason and chronic absenteeism counts and rates disaggregated by race/ethnicity, program subgroup, grade level, and academic year.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Chronic Absenteeism Indicator FAQs web page addresses the common questions received on this state indicator.

Additional Information about the Dashboard

The Dashboard Communication Toolkit web page provides a variety of informational materials that help explain the data reported on the California School Dashboard.
The Dashboard Resources web page provides an extensive selection of resources relating to the California School Dashboard for parents, educators, and community partners.
- Connect to the Dashboard Measures section on the Dashboard Resources web page to learn about other state indicators reported on the Dashboard
The Dashboard Performance Levels and Categories web page provides the Status cut scores, Change cut scores, and Performance Levels (or colors) for all state indicators excluding growth-based indicators which report Performance Categories.

Next Steps

There are no next steps or upcoming changes for this indicator.