Absence
Foster Youth: The Only Student Group in California Where Chronic Absenteeism Is Getting Worse
At 37.3%, foster youth have the highest chronic absence rate of any student group and are the only one where the rate increased last year.
California Education News & Data
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District Spotlight
Compton Unified Now Graduates 93.7% of Its Students, Six Points Above the California Average
Compton Unified rose from 83.5% to 93.7% graduation rate in seven years, now nearly six points above the California state average.
Absence
From 28% to 5%: Delano Union Elementary Is California's Attendance Model
The Kern County district's own schools cut chronic absenteeism from 28.4% in 2021-22 to 5.4% in 2024-25, far below the state's 19.4%.
Absence
18 of 540 California Districts Are Back to Pre-Pandemic Attendance
Counting only the schools each district runs, 18 of 540 California districts with 1,000 or more students have returned to their 2018-19 chronic absenteeism rates.
Equity
California's White-Black Graduation Gap Cut by More Than Half in Seven Years
California's white-Black graduation gap shrank from 15.6 to 6.4 percentage points as Black students posted the largest gains of any racial group.
Graduation Rate
California Hits All-Time High 87.8% Graduation Rate — Still Hasn't Cracked 90%
California's statewide graduation rate reached an all-time high of 87.8% in 2025, with 69% of districts improving, but the state still hasn't crossed 90%.
Absence
The DASS Divide: California's Alternative Schools Have 56% Chronic Absenteeism
Dashboard Alternative School Status schools have a 38-point chronic absenteeism gap over traditional schools, the largest structural divide in California's attendance data.
Absence
The Charter COVID Paradox: Lower Absence During the Pandemic, Now Converged
Charter schools had 5.8 points lower chronic absenteeism than traditional schools at the pandemic peak. By 2025, the gap has essentially closed.
Absence
Bakersfield Cut Chronic Absenteeism 33 Points -- California's Largest Turnaround
Bakersfield City School District went from 51.6% chronic absenteeism to 18.9% in three years, dropping below the state average.
