Massachusetts Students and Teachers Missing More School Days

A new report finds that Massachusetts public school staff, including teachers, are having a tough time rolling out of bed in the morning. Many students also appear to miss the morning bell.

When my wife and I inquired about sending our son to Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School some years ago, admissions folks took the issue of absenteeism seriously. Ten or more absences without a death certificate were problematic, and it should be.

The Commonwealth has a 180-day school year spread out over about 10 months. The public school year calendar excludes time off for holidays, vacation weeks, snow days, and summer recess.

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Chronic absenteeism is a problem among Massachusetts students that appears to have worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

However, it's not just the kids who have a problem showing up for school.

Massachusetts Teacher Absences Are Also on the Rise

A new DESE report released during a recent board of education meeting shows that students and teachers alike missed their fair share of school on average during the 2024-2025 school year.

The report indicates that staff at K-12 public schools in Massachusetts missed an average of 12 days of work during the 2024-2025 school year, apart from scheduled days off and vacations.

State House News Service reported DESE data chief Rob Curtain told the meeting, "There's a lot of nuance that goes on here, but if you think about a typical 180-day school year, and you have students missing an average 12 days a year, and you have teachers missing an average 12 days a year, for example...In your 180-day school year, where students have access to our amazing teachers for high-quality instruction, that number of school days comes down."

Teacher Attendance Across Districts

New Bedford public school teachers had a 94.9 percent attendance rate with an average absentee rate of 9.3 days, lower than the state average, according to DESE.

GNB Voc-Tech teachers had a 92.7 percent attendance rating, with an average of 13.3 absences, while Fall River teachers missed an average of 17.2 days, an attendance rate of 90.2 percent.

Fairhaven teachers had a 90.7 percent attendance rating, while Acushnet, Dartmouth, Freetown-Lakeville, Old Rochester Regional, Marion, and Mattapoisett all had attendance rates of 93.4 percent or slightly higher.

How to Access DESE Attendance Data

The DESE website lists every Massachusetts school district and charter school, which includes the attendance rates of teachers, staff, and administrators.