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A child who isn\u2019t in school can\u2019t learn. A child who can\u2019t read will struggle to catch up. And a city that allows this cycle to continue is quietly surrendering the promise of its next generation. This is not a Northside or Southside problem. It\u2019s not a district or charter problem. It\u2019s our community\u2019s problem and therefore everyone\u2019s responsibility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Across our city, 26% were chronically absent last year<\/a>, missing about 18 days of learning. While average attendance rate has improved slightly, San Antonio and most of Texas<\/a> haven\u2019t regained pre-pandemic attendance.\u00a0 <\/p>\n The truth is stark: progress is uneven, and in some neighborhoods, chronic absenteeism is reaching crisis levels.\u00a0<\/p>\n Children in City Council districts two, three, four, and five have both the highest chronic absenteeism and the lowest reading proficiency. Data<\/a> shows that those districts have the highest concentration of poverty while research<\/a> also supports that students in poverty are more likely to be chronically absent. <\/p>\n Attendance isn\u2019t just about showing up for class. It\u2019s about contributing factors like whether a child has a safe place to sleep, a reliable ride to school, and access to food and health care. It\u2019s about whether a parent can take a morning off work to get their children to school without losing a paycheck. It\u2019s about whether children feel welcome and supported at school or invisible.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe habit of showing up is not just an academic skill. It is a life skill. A workforce skill. A future skill,\u201d City Education Partners CEO Dalia Flores Contreras wrote in the organization\u2019s absenteeism report. \u201cWhen we help students build the habit of attendance, we are preparing them not just for graduation \u2014 but for careers, purpose, stability, and independence.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Schools can\u2019t solve chronic absenteeism alone. The causes run deeper \u2014 into our housing policies, transportation systems, and public health priorities. And the solutions must come from all of us: parents, teachers, employers, neighbors, elected officials, and leaders across every corner of San Antonio.<\/p>\n If San Antonio schools improved attendance by just 1%, research shows<\/a> 1.5% more students could pass 3rd-grade reading. That\u2019s about 2,250 more kids reading on grade level.\u00a0<\/p>\n The good news is there are organizations working to tackle this issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n Communities in Schools of San Antonio<\/a> offers personalized support to students and their families to help them overcome attendance barriers. United Way of San Antonio and Bexar County<\/a> provides direct support to students who have 10 or more unexcused absences through programming and counseling.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-12.05.10-PM.png\")
A graph from the City Education Partners student absenteeism report displaying the percentage of chronically absent students in San Antonio by City Council district. Credit: Courtesy \/ Futuro San Antonio<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Screenshot-2026-01-05-at-12.05.42-PM.png\")
A graph from the City Education Partners student absenteeism report displaying reading proficiency levels of students in San Antonio by City Council district. Credit: Courtesy \/ Futuro San Antonio<\/p>\n