Pearland ISD Announces Local Efforts to Celebrate Attendance Awareness Campaign

Pearland ISD is proud to join the nationwide Attendance Awareness Campaign this September, pledging a renewed focus on reducing chronic absenteeism in the new school year. 

“September is a particularly good time to focus on attendance,” Hedy Chang executive director of Attendance Works said, a national nonprofit dedicated to improving school attendance. “By paying attention to absences early in the school year and early in a child’s academic career, we can turn around attendance and achievement.” 

Chronic absence is defined as missing 10% of the school year—or about 18 days, just two per month for any reason. Unlike truancy, which only counts unexcused absences, chronic absence reveals how many and which students are missing too much school. These gaps contribute to lost learning opportunities, lower achievement, and challenges in social, emotional, and physical development. 

Attendance matters for another reason too: funding. In Texas, school funding is directly tied to attendance. With the current state budget shortfall, everyday matters because every dollar helps Pearland ISD continue to provide excellent instruction, safe campuses, and well-maintained schools for all students. 

“Student attendance is important to everyone, not just families with school-age children,” Susan Holloway, Pearland ISD Director of Outreach and Attendance said. “When more students attend, engage in learning, and graduate, our entire community benefits. Stronger schools lead to stronger communities and a more prepared workforce. A missed day is a missed opportunity.”

This September, Pearland ISD invites families, staff, and community members to work together to ensure that every student is here today and ready for tomorrow - building Pearland Proud!