Attendance Matters

Daily attendance plays a vital role in your child’s educational journey. Attending school regularly is required by Massachusetts law and a critical aspect of academic success and social, emotional, and personal development.

Evidence-based research clearly demonstrates that teacher effectiveness is the strongest school-related indicator of student success, however, chronic absenteeism reduces even the best teacher’s ability to positively impact student growth and achievement. Being chronically absent can have a significant impact on a student's ability to read at grade level, perform academically, and graduate on time.

District PlanWhat is chronic absenteeism?
In Massachusetts, chronically absent is defined as missing at least 10% of days enrolled (18 days absent if enrolled for 180) regardless of whether the absences are considered excused, unexcused, and/or for disciplinary reasons.

Chronic absenteeism is one target Cambridge Public Schools uses to measure the effectiveness of our District Plan’s four objectives and 12 strategic initiatives.

Student Attendance Policy

How to report a student absence
Cambridge Public Schools understands that unexpected circumstances can sometimes cause students to be absent from school. If your child needs to miss school, please contact their school as soon as possible so that every effort can be made to support their continued learning.

Report an Absence
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Handbook

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