A numbers of socioeconomic factors are contributing to chronic absenteeism among West Contra Costa Unified School District students.
RICHMOND — A multi-year effort to improve attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism among West Contra Costa Unified School District students has produced a clearer understanding of what barriers are keeping kids from the classroom.
LaShante Smith, director of Positive School Climate, presented some encouraging and concerning attendance trends during a meeting April 16.
A number of factors are contributing to chronic absenteeism, a category students fall into after missing about 10% of school, Smith said, noting issues raised in a 2023-24 parent survey remain true today.
That survey found that some children lack access to proper transportation because their parents may leave for work early in the morning, they live outside of walking distance to school, public transit options are limited or unreliable and private modes of transportation are too expensive.
Some students also work or are needed at home to watch their younger siblings while their parents work, Smith said. Others may feel disengaged in the classroom and unmotivated to attend, experience mental health challenges like anxiety or depression, or other chronic health issues keeping them from the classroom, she said.
More recently, the district saw a dip in daily attendance after the inauguration of President Donald Trump, Smith said. Advocates and local leaders had expressed concerns that the Trump Administration’s mass deportation policies, including allowing immigration agents into school sites, was causing people to avoid going to work, school and on other everyday errands.
“There was a real shift in our political climate. We did see the impact and the effects of students not coming to school as regularly as before,” Smith said. “This issue is not unique to WCCUSD. This is what we’re seeing statewide.”
Chronic absenteeism rates in the district have fluctuated over the years, according to the state’s school dashboard which tracked attendance data for kindergarten through eighth-grade.
About 16.7% of students in that grade range were chronically absent in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic forced a major shift in the education system. By 2022, the next year data was collected, chronic absenteeism among K-8 students rose to 42.4%.
That number has steadily decreased to 32.2% in 2023 and 28.2% in 2024, according to the School Dashboard. District wide, about 30.8% of students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year and 27.8% in 2023-24, according to the district.
Meanwhile, the district’s attendance rates during those two school years were 90.97% and 92.07%, respectively.
Boosting average daily attendance has been raised as a tool for improving the district’s shaky financial footing. Interim Superintendent Kim Moses estimated that increasing the district’s average daily attendance by about 3% could raise an additional $7.7 million.
But a shrinking pool of chronically absent students means improvements in that area will have limited impacts on the district’s overall attendance rate, requiring the district to pivot to an approach that focuses on all students to meet its goal of improving attendance by 2%, Smith said.
Partnerships with cities served by the district could play an important role in improving student attendance, Smith said. During an April 1 meeting, Richmond councilmembers signaled their interest in collaborating with the district in whatever way they can.
The West Contra Costa Unified School District serves about 10,600 Richmond children, between one-third and one-half of the district’s total enrollment. Richmond also has the highest chronic absenteeism of all cities in the district at 44.46%, according to Smith.
Next are San Pablo with 35.9% of its students being chronically absent, El Sobrante with 32.8%, Pinole at 26.6%, El Cerrito at 19.6%, Hercules at 16.91 and Kensington at 13.3%.
“I’m happy to report Richmond and San Pablo have been active members on that Support Collaborative and we have been really engaging with them to identify different ways that they can support as a city to address this issue which is important to all of us,” Smith said.
Enhancing school-based support through counselors, social workers and mental health specialists, and strengthening partnerships with parents and community organizations have improved student attendance, Smith said.
A recent district-wide campaign held in March called “Stronger Together: Show Up, Rise Up,” also produced positive results, Smith said.
By providing targeted support for schools with lower average daily attendance, implementing positive reinforcements for attendance at all campuses, increasing family engagement and launching an attendance toolkit and messaging, Smith said 34 out of 38 elementary schools, 11 out of 15 middle schools and all seven high schools saw improved student turnout.
“While the challenge was in March, we’re not stopping,” Smith said.