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The COVID-19 pandemic and resulting school closures pulled down grades and increased chronic absenteeism in San Diego Unified schools, according to statistics district leaders revealed this week.
New data presented during a board workshop Tuesday show about 14 percent of district students were chronically absent from school this year, when most students were learning online during the pandemic. That’s up from 8 percent last school year and 12 percent the year before.
Students are considered chronically absent if they miss at least 10 percent of the school days in a year. Chronic absenteeism is associated with lower grades and graduation rates.
About 45 percent of San Diego Unified’s middle and high school students have received a D or F in at least one class this school year, up from 36 percent last school year.