The pandemic created several issues for school districts, and one that high schools in North Clackamas School District have been struggling with is chronic absenteeism. Attendance rates have been dropping steadily, worrying many parents and students. In the 2021-2022 school year, about 30% of students in Oregon were chronically absent. In 2023 that figure rose to about 38% of students being chronically absent. 

For a student to be classified as “chronically absent” they must miss 10% or more of their classes in a school year. The Department of Education identifies this kind of frequent absenteeism as a major problem for students, saying that it has “been linked to poor outcomes later in life, from poverty and diminished health to involvement in the criminal justice system.” 

A yearly “Regular Attenders Report” by the Oregon Department of Education shows that high schools in the North Clackamas District are not an exception to this trend, with the four main high schools having significant amounts of students missing 10% or more of their classes. In addition, for the three high schools that were open before the pandemic, the number of chronically absent students has shot up.

Here are the percentages of students chronically absent in each high school during the 2018-19 school year:

• Milwaukie High School: 27.6% chronically absent
• Rex Putnam High School: 23.9% chronically absent
• Clackamas High School: 12.4% chronically absent

And here are the percentages of students chronically absent during the 2022-2023 school year

• Milwaukie High School: 54.3% chronically absent
• Rex Putnam High School: 42.4% chronically absent
• Clackamas High School: 29.4% chronically absent

Adrienne C. Nelson High School which opened in the 2021-2022 school year had a rate of   28.7 % of students being chronically absent in the 2022-2023 school year.

To understand what students are seeing when it comes to absences The Compass spoke with a few high schoolers to get their perspectives. Adrian Dulong, a senior at Nelson High School, says that he thinks that the pandemic has overall led to less student engagement with school. “ I think Covid has caused people to not be as motivated in school.” Dulong also thinks that some teachers have become less stringent with their attendance policies saying, “Some teachers are strict about attendance whereas others are more relaxed.” 

Sarmed Dilshad, also a senior at Nelson High, says that he has seen an uptick in absences after the end of the pandemic observing, “I do think that there are much more people who are skipping or avoiding school.” Dilshad also says that for the students that seem to be chronically absent “Many of the kids that I see absent on a lot of days seem to be stressed or preoccupied with life or relationships outside of school.

Aiden Megura of Clackamas High School generally agrees with these sentiments adding, “I have definitely noticed a difference in the culture around absences, many of my friends seem to be a lot more comfortable with the idea of skipping class than before. “

The fact that attendance is declining after Covid may not be surprising, seeing as the pandemic has had many negative effects on the education system. What may surprise some outside observers is the fact that despite low attendance numbers North Clackamas School District is still shining when it comes to graduation rates. According to their website, “Our schools outpaced the state average for the 12th consecutive year.”

The Compass will continue to cover this ongoing story, interviewing students and reaching out to district officials about student attendance and graduation rates.