The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) is encouraging all education stakeholders to recognize September as Attendance Awareness Month and to understand key points of the state’s updated Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law (SB 2103), which became effective July 1, 2026.
September is recognized nationally as Attendance Awareness Month. Schools, districts and local organizations are urged to promote the benefits of students maintaining regular attendance at school and reducing chronic absenteeism. Mississippi’s latest chronic absenteeism rate is 27.6% from 2024-25, which is an increase from 24.4% in 2023-24. MDE began reporting chronic absence data in 2016. The lowest rate of 13% was in 2018-19. The Chronic Absenteeism Report for 2025-26 will be released in September.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% (18 days) of the school year for any reason, including excused and unexcused absences and suspensions. Students who miss two days of school each month of a school year are considered chronically absent. Research shows that students absent 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
“Students’ academic and career success hinges on being present and engaged in learning, and we must do all we can to identify and remove barriers to students attending school regularly,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “As the MDE gives guidance to districts regarding the updated attendance law, we encourage parents and community members to understand the changes as well.”
MDE’s Every School Day Counts – Attend to Achieve campaign highlights the benefits of regular school attendance and emphasizes prevention of chronic absenteeism. Anyone interested in raising awareness about the importance of regular school attendance may utilize MDE’s online Attendance Awareness Toolkit, which includes new resources regarding the updated school attendance law.
Details about the updated attendance law are available online. Key changes include:
- Active monitoring of chronic absenteeism
- Required parent notification beginning at three (excused or unexcused) absences
- Required tiered intervention strategies for students at risk of chronic absenteeism
- New attendance reporting expectations
- Referrals to School Attendance Officers (SAO) at required unlawful absence thresholds. An unlawful absence occurs if a student misses at least 33% of the student’s school day or all day and does not turn in a valid excuse by the school district’s timeframe.
- Requirement that unlawful absences be reported to the SAO by the end of the next business day after they become unlawful, in accordance with district policy
MDE’s Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and Dropout Prevention is tasked with ensuring all Mississippi public school students attend school. School attendance officers work out of this office to connect with families and help them eliminate barriers to school attendance.
MDE will host the Mississippi Attendance Leadership Summit Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg. The event will bring together educational leaders, attendance professionals, community partners, and youth advocates from across the state to explore proven strategies that improve student attendance, increase engagement, and boost graduation outcomes. Registration will open soon.
Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.