Kindergarten teacher Susan Garcia, third from left, talks with her students as they introduce themselves and get to know each other, during their first day of class at Bear Creek Elementary School in Bend in September. (Bulletin file photo)

Attendance rates increased in most Central Oregon school districts last school year, according to the Oregon Department of Education’s recently released data for the 2023-24 school year.

The one exception was the Jefferson County School District, where the regular attendance rate stayed the same. All five other districts showed improvement, and hovered around the Oregon average rate of 66% for the 2023-24 school year, meaning 66% of students attended more than 90% of school days.

School attendance rates are creeping back upward post-pandemic. During the 2022-23 school year, the average rate was 62%.

Bend-La Pine, Redmond schools

Bend-La Pine Schools increased its regular attendance rate by 7% to land at 67%.

“Our rate of improvement was about double that of the statewide rate of improvement,” wrote Scott Maben, district communications director, in an email. “We have made it a focus over the past two years to help families ensure their students are able to show up regularly. It’s a trend we hope continues, as we’d like to see our regular attendance go well above the state average.”

The district has implemented a few systems to address chronic absenteeism, including gathering data about attendance, academic progress and discipline and addressing what interventions work best for each student.

The district also works with families to address attendance issues. The district’s student success coordinators, the social and emotional learning curriculum and the district’s partnership with Deschutes County on the Healthy Schools initiative have all been useful resources in combatting chronic absenteeism, Maben said.

“We also know that instruction must be engaging and relevant for students to want to be in school,” wrote Maben. “We lean into anything that helps students feel more connected and cared for in our community. For older students, they need experiences in school that help them see themselves being successful and defining a pathway to life after graduation.”

Students chronically miss school for a number of reasons, including health issues, depression and anxiety, safety concerns and challenges like hunger and poverty, said district officials.

The Redmond School District increased its regular attendance rate by 3%, to 64%. District officials said while they are pleased with the progress, the district still has work to do in this area.

One of the district’s areas of focus is improving attendance rates, said Logan McGinnis, district communications officer, in an email. Each school has outlined strategies to ensure students and families are aware of the importance of attending school consistently and work with families who are struggling with it. Schools have also created programs to encourage students to come to school.

“At our secondary schools, we partner with parents by mailing home quarterly letters to inform parents about their student’s GPA and attendance,” wrote McGinnis. “One of our elementary schools, Vern Patrick Elementary, who had the highest attendance last year, used a buddy system strategy which matches adult buddies with each student that struggles with poor attendance.”

Crook County, Jefferson County, Sisters and Culver schools

Crook County Schools increased attendance by 4%, to 67%.

“Attendance is a key predictor of student success. When students are in school consistently, they have more opportunities to learn, engage, and build meaningful relationships with their peers and teachers,” wrote Superintendent Melissa Skinner in an email. “We know students respond to positive reinforcement, so we’re creating fun and engaging ways to celebrate attendance. Whether it’s movie certificates, fun assemblies, or even a hot-dog eating contest, we show students their efforts matter.”

The district works with families to ensure students attend school consistently, and are focused on asking how schools can help. Student leaders have stepped up to spread the attendance message, and Skinner awards trophies for attendance each month and sends weekly attendance updates to schools to track attendance and determine what strategies are working.

“We are super proud of the regular attenders data recently published. All of our schools made gains in the area of attendance. We know that attending school daily increases all areas of academics,” she wrote.

Jefferson County School District saw no change from the previous year and remained at 56%. Sisters School District had 73% regular attenders, an increase of 2%. Culver School District achieved the state average of 66%, an increase of 1%.