Kent County Public Schools in Top 4 for Reducing Chronic Absenteeism

ROCK HALL

Kent County Public Schools was recognized recently for its efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism among students.

On Tuesday, September 29, the Maryland State Department of Education announced that KCPS is among the top four school systems in the state for reducing its chronic absenteeism rate from 2019.
“Chronic absenteeism” is broadly defined by the state as a student missing 10% or more of the academic days in a school year at any given point in time.

If a student misses one day in the first 10 school days, they are at that time considered chronically absent. Even excused absences such as medical appointments still count toward chronic absenteeism.
Since 2025, the state has been collecting and reviewing chronic absenteeism rates month by month.

At a Maryland State Board of Education meeting on September 29, President Dr. Joshua Michael commended Baltimore City, Cecil County, Kent County and Worcester County public schools for all having lower chronic absenteeism rates today than in 2019.

Dr. Mary Boswell-McComas, superintendent of Kent County Public Schools, has made chronic absenteeism a priority of the long-term pandemic recovery.

“Attendance is one aspect of how disruptive the pandemic was to school norms,” Dr. McComas said. “As is the case across the nation and the state, we are rebuilding those productive norms, including routine and reliable school attendance behaviors.”

She said KCPS is taking a multi-faceted approach to addressing chronic absenteeism, including more frequent communication with families about the issue and in regards to their own students’ performance.

“We have embraced parents as key partners in this work,” she said. “Parents receive more frequent letters with clear and specific information and data related to their student’s attendance and what happens if their child misses additional days.”

If a student starts missing school, KCPS’ school-based teams contact the family and talk about what could be the cause. That kind of connection allows the school to get a student back in the classroom and back on track before they hit the “chronically absent” threshold.

The schools here also make sure to recognize students’ success as part of their efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism.

“In schools we are celebrating and incentivizing attendance, highlighting students who are present and ready to learn, and reinforcing the joy of being at school,” Dr. McComas said.

It was reported at the Maryland State Board of Education meeting September 29, that Community Schols are showing greater improvement in chronic absenteeism rates than those without the designation.
All five KCPS schools are designated Community Schools.

“Community Schools are actually decreasing rates of chronic absenteeism at faster rates than non-Community Schools,” said Geoff Sanderson, MSDE chief of accountability, at the state board meeting.

“Overall, when you compare Community Schools and the impact they’re having on chronic absenteeism, it is more positive than what we’re observing in non-Community Schools.”

The Community School designation is part of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future initiative.

The schools are identified based on poverty rates in their communities. The aim is to boost students’ educational experiences by better connecting them with community resources to support their needs outside of school.

Keep up with Kent County Public Schools at www.kent.k12.md.us and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kcpsmdk12.