We’ve collected a few of your stories, photos and videos about what schools and communities did for Attendance Awareness Month 2024. Let’s continue to support students by promoting consistent attendance all year long!

Alabama

Prattville Elementary School students and teachers celebrated Attendance Awareness Month 2024 by dressing up as their favorite superheroes. Looking good Bobcats!

Arizona

Valley of the Sun United Way in Arizona kicked off the school year with attendance awareness materials including year-long sample social media messages with ready-to-use design templates that can be downloaded and shared across social platforms.

Arizona recognized September 25th as Chronic Absence Awareness Day. Following a statewide chronic absence task force in May of 2023, Read On Arizona developed the Arizona Chronic Absence Resource Guide, a framework for school administrators to strategically plan and implement evidence-based preventions and interventions to reduce chronic absence from pre-K through grade 12.

California

Golden Valley High School Principal Sal Frias joined Dave Caldwell to discuss the district’s attendance awareness initiative, “Be Present” and how this program has improved absenteeism at Golden Valley and across the district.

Veterans Elementary School in Bakersfield celebrated Attendance Awareness Month with “Missed My Alarm Monday”, a pajama day asking students to wear their comfiest pajamas.

Florida

Bay District Schools. Superintendent Mark McQueen held a press conference to raise awareness about the district’s chronic absence. The district along with its community partners are providing clothes, backpacks, school supplies and even temporary transportation accommodations to assist families overcome barriers.

Bratt Elementary School celebrated Attendance Awareness Month with a bee-themed coloring contest for students. A winner from each grade was chosen.

Georgia

Atlanta Public Schools in Georgia held their Annual Attendance Awareness Poster Contest, themed “Be Present, Be Powerful!” The contest received 292 creative submissions from students, with winning artwork showcased at the district office and on social media. Schools also promoted attendance through banners, stickers, spirit week activities and chalk drawings. Watch the video.

Matilda Hartley Elementary held a community-wide walk to school for attendance awareness month. Students, parents, teachers and community members worked together to create safe walking spaces for students to get to school. View the video!

Illinois

Kane County Education Office is tackling the “Attendance Challenge” by collaborating with school districts to provide resources and support, helping remove barriers to attendance and ensuring every child has access to a meaningful educational experience. The Regional Office of Education also supports homeless students and addresses truancy through its Youth Outreach team and specialized staff.

Kentucky

Kentucky schools in Owensboro celebrated “High Attendance Day”, a friendly competition between schools to see who has the highest attendance. The winning school’s principal participates in a fun tradition of kissing a pig.

Louisiana

On September 20, students at W.T. Lewis Elementary were invited to wear their favorite hats to celebrate Attendance Awareness Month!

Maryland

Baltimore County Public Schools are celebrating Attendance Awareness Month with a countywide spirit day every Friday in September. Staff and students were encouraged to participate and post on social media using hashtags #BCPSHereForIt and #SchoolEveryDay and to share their photos.

Chesapeake Public Schools in Maryland called attention to Attendance Awareness Month with a news article on the district website including offering five “little things” families can do to help encourage regular school attendance.

Mississippi

Crestwood Elementary School in Meridian held a block party where students played games and danced to celebrate Attendance Awareness Month.

Missouri

Several school districts in Southwest Missouri schools got creative for Attendance Awareness Month by launching a campaign called, “Get Your Selfie To School”. The initiative calls for parents to share a selfie with everyone heading to school and to tag the picture using the hashtag #GetYourSelfieToSchoolSWMO.

New Jersey

In Hamilton, students at Sunnybrae Elementary School are being encouraged to keep their attendance records strong through the launch of the “Bee A Champion” program.

Ohio

Cleveland Metropolitan School District hosted the “Step Up to Support Our Kids” rally on September 21 as part of Attendance Awareness Month. The event aimed to raise awareness about the importance of attending school and encouraged community involvement to address student absenteeism.

Oklahoma

Tulsa Public Schools has launched a new community-wide initiative to reduce absenteeism. Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson emphasizes the need for families and local organizations, to collaborate in providing resources and support to ensure students attend school regularly.

Texas

Dallas ISD celebrated Attendance Awareness Month with the theme “Show up! Attendance Matters.” Each Wednesday throughout the month, central office and campus team members were encouraged to participate in weekly attendance awareness dress-up days.

Virginia

Fredericksburg City Public Schools officials highlighted September as Attendance Awareness Month and also promoted the idea that encouraging students to attend school regularly is a yearlong effort.

Prince William County Public Schools spotlighted its attendance efforts through a video, as part of its broader initiative to address absenteeism. The video emphasizes the importance of regular school attendance by suggesting families prioritize attendance by planning trips/appointments during school breaks or outside of school hours.