States / Mississippi

Chronic absence in Mississippi

Where things stand, what state rules ask of each role, and what is changing. For school and district leaders.

School year 2024-25

27.6%

of students were chronically absent¹

Chronically absent means absent 10% or more of the time they were enrolled in any school.¹

U.S. rate: 22.6% (2024-25)⁴

Five-year trend

Mississippi, year by year

Mississippi chronic absence by school year
School year	Chronically absent
2018-19	13%
2021-22	28%
2022-23	23.9%
2023-24	24.4%
2024-25	27.6%

Dashed bars mark years the state did not publish a rate.

Where things stand

The numbers

In 2024-25, 27.6% of Mississippi public school students were chronically absent, up from 24.4% in 2023-24^1,2.
That is 120,408 students, compared with 107,266 in 2023-2024¹.
Rates fell in elementary and middle school from 2023-24 to 2024-25 but rose from 30% to 39% in high school².
About one-third of all absences are excused, most often for health or family reasons¹.
The rate was 13% in 2018-19, hit a record 28% in 2021-22 and fell to 23.9% in 2022-23 before rising again^2,3.
Mississippi is above the national picture: across reporting states, 22.6% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, which AEI labels 2025⁴.

Requirements by role

What state rules ask of each role

Teachers

A student must attend 66% of the instructional day to be counted present; an absence over 33% of the day counts as a full-day absence^5,7.
Students get five excused absences per semester, and a school-sanctioned event is not counted as an absence^5,6.
Beyond five, an absence is treated as unexcused unless the superintendent or a designee approves it for extenuating circumstances^5,6.
Any illness absence beyond the third requires documentation from a medical provider⁵.

Counselors

For students at risk of chronic absenteeism, each district must provide opportunities for parent or guardian conferences to identify barriers to regular attendance⁵.
Districts must provide referral to school- or community-based support services as appropriate, including health, counseling and transportation resources⁵.
As part of its tiered intervention strategies, each district must assign an individualized attendance success plan, which may include mentoring, case management by a school attendance officer, or other evidence-based supports⁵.
Each district must adopt proactive family engagement strategies, including regular communication with families in a language and manner they understand, and training for school staff on culturally responsive family engagement related to attendance⁵.

Attendance team

Each district's tiered interventions for students at risk of chronic absenteeism must include, at a minimum, timely notice to the parent or guardian when a student has three or more absences that place the student at risk⁵.
Notice to families must be multichannel and translated, in a language and manner they understand⁵.
The district must report a student's fifth unlawful absence to the school attendance officer by close of business the next business day⁵.
An absence is not unlawful until the student fails to present an excuse in accordance with district policy⁶.
The school attendance officer cannot file in court unless the school has implemented recorded interventions for the student and family and contacted the family⁶.

Principals & districts

Each district must actively monitor chronic absenteeism rates by school, grade level and subgroup, and include the data in its annual accountability reporting and its district and school improvement plans⁵.
When a school's chronic absenteeism rate exceeds 10% for any subgroup or grade level, the district must adopt a written reduction plan, submit it to the school board and post it on the district website⁵.
The plan must describe the evidence-based practices the district will use, the timeline for implementation, family and community engagement strategies, and the metrics for measuring progress⁵.
By November 1, 2026, each district must, by board action, adopt and implement locally tailored policies that set documentation standards for illness, isolation orders, an immediate family member's death or serious illness, and medical or dental appointments, and establish family engagement protocols⁵.
These policies must be posted on the district website, reviewed at least every three years, and reported on annually to the school board using disaggregated attendance data⁵.

Recent changes

What changed lately

Senate Bill 2103 (2026) amended the state's compulsory school attendance law and the school attendance officer statute; the attendance law changes took effect July 1, 2026^5,6.
Under the new law, a student is chronically absent after missing 10% or more of the school year, excused or not; chronic absence creates no new offense⁵.
Students must now attend 66% of the instructional day to be counted present; before, the bar was 63%⁷.
Excused absences are capped at five per semester unless the superintendent or a designee approves more for extenuating circumstances⁶.
The state department had to issue a nonbinding model policy by August 15, 2026; adopting it, or a substantially aligned policy, counts as minimum compliance⁵.
Under state law, as quoted in the state's attendance playbook, the state funds one school attendance officer for every 4,000 compulsory-school-age children enrolled in the public schools⁵.
All districts will use a new state portal for school attendance officer referrals in the 2026-2027 school year⁶.

Accountability

How the state holds schools to it

Mississippi grades schools A to F based on measures such as test scores and graduation rates⁸.
As of the State Auditor's June 2024 report, the school accountability system did not use an attendance-based metric, and the Auditor recommended adding one⁸.
Since July 1, 2026, districts must include chronic absenteeism data in their annual accountability reporting and in district and school improvement plans^5,6.
The state has reported chronic absence rates since 2016, and its annual report lists rates for every district and school¹.
The state's 2024-25 report notes that, as a generality, schools with lower chronic absenteeism tend to have higher accountability grades¹.
State guidance says districts must report unlawful absences within required timelines, and failure to comply may impact accreditation status⁶.

Working on chronic absence in Mississippi?

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Sources

Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and Dropout Prevention (copy of the state report hosted by DeSoto County News; mdek12.org refused the fetch). Chronic Absenteeism Report, School Year: 2024-25 (released October 2025) (opens in a new tab) (2025-10)
WLOX (reporting Mississippi Department of Education data). MDE annual report reveals rise in chronic absenteeism (opens in a new tab) (2025-10-16)
WJTV (reporting Mississippi Department of Education data). Mississippi sees decrease in chronic absenteeism in 2022-23 (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-13)
American Enterprise Institute (Nat Malkus). From Attendance Crisis to Chronic Condition? Tracking Post-Pandemic Chronic Absenteeism into 2025 (opens in a new tab) (2026-06-30)
Mississippi Department of Education, Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement and Dropout Prevention (file on the agency's newsletter file host). Mississippi Attendance Playbook: Plain-Language Guidance and Resources for Implementing the State's Attendance Law (guidance on SB 2103, quoting Miss. Code § 37-13-91) (opens in a new tab) (2026-08-01)
Mississippi Department of Education (file on the agency's newsletter file host). New Initiatives 2026: Growing Success Through Strong Attendance (state training presentation on the revised attendance law) (opens in a new tab) (Summer 2026)
Mississippi Free Press. Mississippi Schools Enforcing Tighter Attendance Rules Thanks to New State Law (opens in a new tab) (2026-09-16)
Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. How Chronic Absenteeism Hurts Students and Taxpayers (June 2024) (opens in a new tab) (2024-06)