The Kentucky Department of Education has launched a new blog series addressing what Kentucky Teacher reports is one of the state's most pressing educational challenges: chronic absenteeism.

According to KDE, the series examines how attendance has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, the factors driving chronic absenteeism, and statewide efforts to reconnect students and improve attendance outcomes.

The inaugural post, "Beyond a Definition—The True Scale of Kentucky's Attendance Crisis," written by Leslie McKinney, a researcher and strategic data analyst for KDE, highlights how chronic absenteeism has transformed from a concern affecting a relatively small number of schools before the pandemic into a statewide challenge impacting nearly every community.

KDE defines chronic absenteeism as students missing 10 percent or more of enrolled school days for any reason. In the 2024-2025 school year, the chronic absenteeism rate in Kentucky was 25 percent, a significant increase from pre-pandemic levels.

The initiative comes as Kentucky schools continue to grapple with attendance disruptions that began during the pandemic. KDE is partnering with REL Appalachia to deliver training and coaching that strengthens district and school leaders' capacity to improve student attendance and engagement. The state has set a goal to reduce the chronic absenteeism rate to 15 percent by the end of the 2028-29 school year.

The series is part of KDE's broader "Attendance Matters!" campaign, which addresses not only absenteeism but the underlying barriers students and families face in maintaining consistent school attendance.