Oregon's Education Crisis: Worsening Attendance and Declining College Enrollment

More than 38% of Oregon students were chronically absent, missing at least three weeks of school in the 2022-2023 academic year, a higher rate than the previous year. Approximately 200,000 students were affected, putting them at risk of falling behind academically and not graduating. The problem was widespread across different types of schools, from wealthy suburban high schools to rural elementary schools. Oregon's chronic absenteeism rate worsened by 2 percentage points, while other states showed improvements. The pandemic's lingering effects, coupled with the absence of social support programs, were cited as contributing factors. Efforts to combat absenteeism include improving communication with parents and addressing the root causes of the issue.