Report addresses chronic absenteeism among Latino kindergarteners at LAUSD

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One out of three Latino kindergarteners in the Los Angeles Unified School District missed at least 10% of school days in the 2023-24 school year, making them chronically absent.

A new report from the Los Angeles-based nonprofit Families in Schools worked with LAUSD, conducting interviews to understand why so many Latinos in the district were missing so much school.

Kindergarten might include a lot of activities like coloring and playing games that don’t seem academic, but researchers have found that the skills developed at this level build an important foundation for children to learn to read, count and become socially and emotionally well-adjusted. This level is especially important for English learners.

But the parents interviewed in the focus groups tended to see attendance in transitional kindergarten and kindergarten grades as optional. The report recommended that schools build better awareness of how important this is.

Some children struggle with the transition from preschool to kindergarten, especially the abrupt schedule change. The report recommended that schools take these challenges seriously and work with parents, create gradual transition plans and flexible learning environments.

Some parents said their children never developed a close relationship with the teacher, which could be a big barrier to students wanting to attend school. The report recommended more teacher professional development and culturally responsive practices.

One big reason parents cited was health-related absences. But parents and other guardians told researchers that they didn’t see these absences as related to chronic absenteeism. The report recommended that schools do better messaging about the cumulative effect of absences and make it clear which types of symptoms should or shouldn’t keep kids home.