More than 50% of Detroit students regularly miss class – and schools alone can’t solve the problem

Nobody learns in an empty classroom. Jeffrey Basinger/Newsday RM via Getty Images

Thousands of K-12 students in Detroit consistently miss days of school.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 10% of school days – or 18 in a 180-day academic year. In Detroit, chronic absenteeism rose during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains a persistent challenge.