15 Questions to Ask to Address Chronic Absenteeism

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, districts across the country have seen increasing chronic absenteeism rates—in fact, 2023-2024, 1 in 4 students were chronically absent. Because chronic absenteeism can have significant academic and long-term life outcomes, 15 states have signed pledges to cut chronic absenteeism rates by half over the next five years.

Chronic absenteeism is influenced by factors such as school policies, teacher-student relationships, school climate, challenges at home, and access to resources like tutoring or counseling. To reduce chronic absenteeism rates, schools must identify and address the root causes behind it.

One key step in identifying the root causes of absenteeism is listening to student voice—for example, through surveys. Panorama Education’s chronic absenteeism survey topics provide districts the data they need to develop customized strategies to improve attendance.

Read on for 15 key questions that can help schools identify the driving reasons behind absenteeism and take action.

Why Chronic Absenteeism Needs to be Solved

15 Survey Questions to Address Chronic Absenteeism

Why Use Data-Driven Insights to Address Absenteeism?

Benefits of Panorama's Absenteeism Survey Package

Why Chronic Absenteeism Needs to be Solved

Chronic absenteeism has been linked to negative effects on academic growth, social skills, and even future job prospects. Chronically absent students are also more likely to fall behind, fail to meet critical milestones, or even drop out. One study found that 11% of high school students who were chronically absent only reached their sophomore year in college.

Another study revealed that only one in six children who frequently missed school in kindergarten and first grade were proficient in reading by the end of third grade. In contrast, two-thirds of students with less than 5% absenteeism achieved reading proficiency.

Addressing chronic absenteeism is crucial if we want to make sure our students learn critical academic and life skills, graduate, and find success after high school.

15 Survey Questions to Address Chronic Absenteeism

Asking students questions about chronic absenteeism helps schools understand the underlying cause behind missed days. It also provides insights into roadblocks they may face, such as transportation, family issues, or disengagement with school. By listening to students directly, schools can create more targeted support strategies, improve attendance, and strengthen the connection between students and their learning environment.

Here are 15 survey questions designed by Panorama to help collect meaningful data about attendance and understand why students miss school. Below, you’ll find a set of five questions for each level, elementary school, middle school, and high school:

For Elementary School Students

For younger students, absenteeism is often tied to feeling safe or connected to school. These questions help identify factors linked with chronic absenteeism by elementary students:

During the past week, how often did you feel happy?
How sure are you that you can learn all of the subjects taught in your class?
If a student is bullied in school, how difficult is it for them to get help from an adult?
How often do you worry about violence at your school?
How often do your teachers seem excited to be teaching your classes?

For Middle School Students

Middle school is a transitional time in the lives of students. Students in this age bracket may face low self-efficacy, disconnection with school climate, and poor engagement at school. These are some questions to ask:

Do you have a teacher or other adult from school who you can be completely yourself around?
How likely is it that someone from your school will bully you online?
What kinds of things have led you to miss school days this year?
How sure are you that you can complete all the schoolwork that is given to you?
Do you have a friend from school who you can count on to help you, no matter what?

For High School Students

High school absenteeism can stem from issues such as poor relationships with teachers, low self-efficacy, and a negative perception of the school climate. Students who don't feel supported or connected to their school may be less motivated to attend regularly. These questions help identify the underlying causes of absenteeism in high school and provide insights for addressing them:

What are some things the school can do to help you have good attendance this year?
How important is it to you to have good attendance for the rest of this year?
How sure are you that you can do the hardest schoolwork that is given to you?
Do you have a teacher or other adult from school who you can count on to help you, no matter what?
How positive or negative is the mood at this school?

Why Use Data-Driven Insights to Address Absenteeism?

The questions above are a starting point for schools to adopt a data-informed approach to address chronic absenteeism. To create effective strategies, school and district leaders need deeper insights. Panorama’s surveys and MTSS platform can help by allowing you to:

Identify Gaps: Monitor students who are potentially in need of additional support due to chronic absenteeism.
Build Personalized Interventions: Providing focused support based on the individual needs of students.
Streamline Data: Integrating data from behavior, attendance, academics, and life skills to get a comprehensive view of student progress.

Benefits of Panorama’s Absenteeism Survey Package

Panorama’s chronic absenteeism survey topics and check-ins questions offer tools for schools and districts to collect information and address chronic absenteeism. Based on Panorama’s analysis of attendance data from over 7,000 schools and 11 million student records, this survey package helps schools identify key issues, develop interventions, and track student progress throughout the school year.

Here are the tools that can help you address chronic absenteeism:

Benchmark Survey Topics

Panorama’s benchmark survey topics are designed to gather comprehensive, school or district-wide data on critical issues like student well-being, school climate, and chronic absenteeism. These surveys are typically administered twice a year to track progress over time. Each survey includes multiple scales that focus on specific areas related to student success and school improvement.

Examples of Benchmarks survey topics include:

School Safety
School Climate
Self-Efficacy
Self-Management
Supportive Relationships

Check-Ins Questions

The Check-Ins questions are another powerful data-gathering solution. Designed to be administered in Panorama’s Check-Ins tool throughout the school year, these questions make it possible to gather insights in real time to support your students when they need it most. Check-Ins can provide learnings into why students are missing school and what can help improve attendance

The Check-Ins questions cover attendance support and intervention, as well as quick follow-ups after absences to understand why students missed school. With the data, educators can create targeted interventions to help get the student back on track.

Examples of Check-Ins questions include:

How important is it to you to have good attendance this year?
What have you done to catch up on the work you missed when you were absent?
What kinds of things have led you to miss school days this year?

Achieving Attendance Goals with Panorama

Panorama gives you a comprehensive system to gather feedback throughout the school year, helping you better understand the root causes of chronic absenteeism. Understand the big picture at a glance with benchmark surveys, while also being able to zoom into the details with the Check-Ins tool. With Panorama, you can develop both broad and targeted intervention strategies. From school-wide initiatives to individual support plans, make informed decisions to start solving the chronic absenteeism problem in your school.

Ready to learn more? Student voice data is essential to reducing absenteeism rates and boosting attendance. Explore how Panorama’s actionable insights can empower you to achieve tangible results. Download the chronic absenteeism survey topics and access a preview of the survey content today.