October 21, 2024

While student attendance continues to improve across the District, the DPSCD School Board of Education recently gave special recognition to K-8 schools and high schools who showed the strongest attendance in the 2023-24 school year.

At the October 8 regular school board meeting, District leadership presented certificates to the principals of schools who had the top five highest student average daily attendance (ADA) and students who are not chronically absent. Principals with the most improved ADA and students who are not chronically absent from the 2022-23 to 2023-24 school year were also presented with certificates.

The District continues to improve overall attendance. At the board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said average daily attendance this school year is about 84%, nearly 3% higher than all last year.

Schools with the Strongest and Most Improved Attendance

K-8 schools who had the strongest attendance are:

• Edmonson Montessori: 93% ADA and 82% not chronically absent
• Bates Academy: 92.6% ADA and 76.5% not chronically absent
• Foreign Language Immersion and Cultural Studies (FLICS): 92.3% ADA and 74% not chronically absent
• Chrysler Elementary School: 91.6% ADA and 68.4% not chronically absent
• Clippert Academy: 90.7% ADA and 68.1% not chronically absent

K-8 schools who had the most improved attendance are:

• Ann Arbor Trail Magnet School: 2.7% increase in ADA and 16.8% increase in students who are not chronically absent
• Burns Elementary Middle School: 10.8% increase in ADA and 32.9% increase in students who are not chronically absent
• Fisher Magnet Academy: 11.1% increase in students who are not chronically absent
• Greenfield Union Elementary Middle-School: 2% Increase in ADA and 10.1% increase in students who are not chronically absent
• Nichols Elementary Middle-School: 1.9% increase in ADA
• Noble Elementary Middle School: 3.1% increase in ADA and 9.2% increase in students who are not chronically absent

High Schools with the strongest attendance are:

• Academy of the Americas: 86.6% ADA
• Cass Technical High School: 89.6% ADA and 57.4% of students who are not chronically absent
• Renaissance High School: 89.3% ADA and 60.7% of students who are not chronically absent
• DIA: 87.1% ADA and 52.1% of students who are not chronically absent
• The School at Marygrove: 89.1% ADA and 53.9% of students who are not chronically absent
• Virtual School: 55.9% of students who are not chronically absent

Most improved high schools:

• Davis Aerospace Technical High School: 4.7% increase in ADA and 23.4% improvement in students who are not chronically absent
• Central High School: 3.6% increase in students who are not chronically absent
• MLK Jr. High School: 1.7% increase in ADA
• Northwestern High School: 3.6% increase in ADA and 5.5% improvement in students who are not chronically absent
• Pershing High School: 3.2% increase in ADA and 8% improvement in students who are not chronically absent
• The School at Marygrove: 2.1% increase in ADA and 6.9% increase in students who are not chronically absent

Schools Use Resources and Supports, Incentives to Encourage Attendance

Several principals in the top five schools for each category of attendance said the key to improvement is to address barriers students face when attending school through a proactive, rather than reactive approach.

Often, these efforts take participation from the entire school, including teachers, support staff, administrators, students, parents and families.

Central High School Principal LaToyia Webb said staff such as seminar teachers (similar to a traditional homeroom teacher), the climate and culture leadership team, and the school’s attendance agents identify and reach out to students who are chronically absent or are at risk of being chronically absent. Staff will then reach out to students’ families to connect them to community resources that will help students consistently attend school.

“We make attendance everyone’s business in the school,” Webb said.

Some of these resources can include transportation support, school-based and community health services, and resources from the Office of Homeless and Foster Care (OHFC).

Academy of the Americas (AOA) Principal Nicholas Brown said their school takes a similar approach. The school has a large portion of students who are a part of immigrant families who might be in unique or unstable housing situations, so transportation is the main barrier that some students face when attending school.

About 50 students receive transportation through the Office of Homeless and Foster Care, arriving at school through a variety of District-supported vans and drivers, Brown said. Students who are experiencing behavioral or physical health challenges also receive supports and home visits from the school’s social worker, which are designed to help the student feel comfortable returning to school.

“I recognize that at any moment, our families could experience a hardship that makes it a challenge (to attend school), so it’s an ongoing process of being ready, willing and able to engage with them, and find out what’s going on with them and how we can help,” Brown said.

Schools also held incentives to encourage attendance. Ann Arbor Trail and Detroit International Academy (DIA) placed an emphasis on Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) clubs and activities, with events purposefully planned for historically low-attendance days like Mondays and Fridays.

Michele Massey, Principal at Ann Arbor Trail, said in recent years the school has placed greater emphasis on attendance initiatives and incentives like celebrations to recognize students with improved academics, attendance and behavior; and a PBIS store where students can buy prizes with PBIS “bucks” earned through positive behaviors.

Consistency and teamwork – from the school’s leadership team, to partnering with parents and families – are the key to strong attendance, she said.

“We’re always coming together and trying to reach out to parents to support them the best we can,” Massey said. “We find creative ways to get students excited about coming to school and learning.”

The “Domino Effect” of Strong Attendance

Several principles said consistent attendance improves student academics and overall school culture.

“With students coming to school daily, they are able to maximize instructional time so they can grow academically,” said DIA Principal Ashley Monteleone. “Furthermore, they connect with their peers, which helps them bond as a sisterhood. They also encourage one another to come to school. Our high attendance rate contributed to our students’ sense of ownership. They wanted to be more involved in our school community and often seek out opportunities to be involved as ambassadors, helpers, etc.”

Daily attendance is closely linked with a child’s social and emotional development, as well as overall success in life.

“If students are in school, it definitely has a domino effect on their success,” Webb said. “More students participate in extracurricular activities. More students pass classes, and less credit recovery classes are needed. The hallways are full.”