CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM Chronic absenteeism is a measurement based on the number of students absent at least 10% of the instructional days that they were enrolled in school. According to Attendance Works, kindergarten students who are chronically absent are likely to be less proficient readers and be held back in later grades. The study went on to show that by sixth grade, chronic absenteeism is one of the early warning indicators influencing eventual high school graduation. The report below shows the annual Orange County K–12 public school chronic absenteeism rate by ethnicity. Orange County K-12 Chronic Absenteeism by Ethnicity, 2017/2018 Chronic Absenteeism Chronic Absenteeism K-12 Enrollment Count Rate Orange Orange Orange Ethnicity County California County California County California African American 6,855 351,274 925 70,622 13.5% 20.1% American Indian or Alaska Native 1,101 33,157 179 6,958 16.3% 21.0% Asian 81,251 578,878 2,446 22,270 3.0% 3.8% Filipino 10,218 153,577 436 8,017 4.3% 5.2% Hispanic or Latino 243,526 3,426,105 23,923 415,666 9.8% 12.1% Pacific Islander 1,660 29,539 240 5,141 14.5% 17.4% White 128,234 1,462,370 10,794 141,803 8.4% 9.7% Two or More Races 18,532 224,439 1,431 23,764 7.7% 10.6% Not Reported 4,412 55,792 564 8,290 12.8% 14.9% Total 495,789 6,315,131 40,938 702,531 8.3% 11.1% Source: California Department of Education Note: Lower rate is better
= Above California Average (11.1%)
Overall, the Orange County chronic absenteeism rate (8.3%) is lower than that of the California statewide rate (11.1%). Despite Orange County’s chronic absenteeism rate being lower than California, many ethnic groups within Orange County recorded rates far higher than the average statewide rate. This included: • African American: 13.5% chronic absenteeism rate; • American Indian or Alaska Native: 16.5% chronic absenteeism rate; and • Pacific Islander: 14.5% chronic absenteeism rate. Also assessed was the chronic absenteeism rates of school districts within Orange County. Only three school districts reported higher chronic absenteeism rates when compared to the statewide rate (11.1%). These include the Orange County Department of Education (36.3%), Fullerton Joint Union High (11.7%), and Anaheim Union High School District (11.4%). The school district with the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in Orange County was Fountain Valley Elementary School District. Only 3.7% of the district’s 6,519 enrolled students were reported as being chronically absent over the course of the school year.
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