Education
Alpine School District tackles chronic absenteeism with statewide push
Megan Wallgren | Lehi Free Press
Chronic absenteeism is a growing concern throughout Utah, and Alpine School District is stepping up efforts to help students and families overcome barriers to consistent school attendance.
Utah recently launched the Every Day Counts initiative, a statewide campaign to reduce chronic absenteeism. Cassy Saxton serves as an ambassador for the program, working with the Utah State Board of Education. She is the director of prevention and family and community engagement for Alpine School District (ASD).
According to the Utah State Board of Education, chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year, just two days per month. While the number may seem small, the impact is significant.
“Missing 10 percent of school adds up quickly,” said Saxton. “When students are absent, they miss instruction, fall behind academically, and it can even affect their ability to qualify for graduation.”
Like many districts, ASD saw absenteeism spike during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2019, the district’s chronic absenteeism rate was 14 percent. That number jumped to 24 percent in 2022 before improving to 21.8 percent in 2023 and 21.7 percent in 2024.
“So much of that increase came from schools being closed and the anxiety students felt about returning,” Saxton said. “But we’re going in the right direction, and we’re going to keep working on that.”
“The state is asking all districts to come on board,” Saxton said. “We’re recommitting to making every day count. Working together as a whole state is important because chronic absenteeism is a growing problem.”
Alpine has made attendance a family-centered focus. Saxton’s department oversees both prevention and family engagement, which she says allows the district to look at the whole picture of a student’s needs.
“We’re not just trying to connect with students, we’re trying to connect with entire families,” she explained. “If we can strengthen support at home, that student will want to be in school.”
The district employs advocates and liaisons who work directly with families to remove barriers that might keep children from class. These supports include 14 food pantries to ensure students are ready to learn with full stomachs, as well as partnerships to provide bus passes, clothing drives, and assistance with immunizations.
“First, we take a look at all of those barriers—housing, food, transportation, clothing—and then we try to remove them,” Saxton said.
Training is another key strategy. Administrators and social workers are taught how to communicate effectively with parents, develop attendance plans, and document outreach efforts. “It’s about engaging with families ahead of time,” Saxton said. “Often, administrators, counselors, and advocates already know these families and can work together to support them.”
State law guides attendance policies for unexcused absences. After three unexcused absences with academic decline, ASD schools begin parent meetings and send letters home. After ten unexcused absences in secondary school, the case may be referred to court. At twenty absences per year, families meet with mediators to create attendance plans, with options for short-term therapy and support services.
Though some students and parents have reported that schools are using the threat of failing grades to encourage attendance, there is no single districtwide or statewide limit on how many days a secondary school student can miss before failing a class. Saxton suggests parents contact school administrators if they have questions about individual school and class policies.
“We always take a positive approach,” Saxton said. “We talk with families about how missing school impacts learning and their ability to stay on top of their work.”
Alpine also offers credit recovery programs as early as ninth grade. “It’s not just about making up credits,” Saxton explained. “Students feel stress when they fall behind, and we want to remove that weight so they can focus on moving forward.”
The district surveys families through its “culture, connection, and climate” survey to better understand what’s keeping students from attending. Flexible schedules, hybrid options, and online learning also help meet individual needs.
Saxton emphasized that parents should view attendance as directly tied to long-term success. “Success in school is success in life,” she said. “Student learning is about more than academics—it’s about building character, critical thinking skills, and preparing to be life-ready.”
She added that missing school affects more than grades. “We’re seeing a culture of accepting school avoidance, and we want to educate parents and students about how important it is to feel connected and build relationships at school,” Saxton said.
In the end, ASD’s message is simple: every day really does count. “When parents understand that even two days a month makes a difference, we can work together to make sure students aren’t just college-ready, but life-ready,” Saxton said.
