Daily attendance is one of the most powerful indicators of a student's success in school and staying on track for on-time graduation. HCPS’ goal is to have every student at school, on time every day, engaged and supported!

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school — and themselves! Consistent attendance helps children do well in high school, college and at work.
Being at school helps your child learn valuable social skills and develop meaningful relationships.
Missing a day of school here and there may not seem like much, but absences have big consequences. If a student misses just TWO days a month, they'll miss:
- Twenty days of school a year.
- Thirty hours of important math instruction a year.
- Sixty hours of reading and writing instruction a year.
- An entire year of school by the end of their senior year.
Missing 10% of school days (about 18 days each year) increases the chance that your student won't read or master math at the same level as their peers.
By sixth grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
While students pay the highest cost for missing too much school, high absence rates also put a burden on teachers. Making up for lost instruction adds to their workload; losing that valuable classroom time hurts all students.
Preschoolers who miss too much school don’t develop reading, math and social skills as quickly as their peers.
Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing other serious difficulties.
By ninth grade, regular attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than eighth grade test scores.

Attendance

Resources for Families

School and Community Resources

Why is attendance so important?

What can families do?

What are some things HCPS schools are doing to encourage attendance?

Springfield Park Elementary School

Ridge Elementary School

Harold Ratcliffe Elementary School

Mills Godwin High School