States / Oklahoma

Chronic absence in Oklahoma

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

School year 2024-25

19%

of students were chronically absent¹

Chronically absent means absent at least 10% of the time that school is in session while the student is enrolled (in membership).²

U.S. rate: 22.6% (2024-25)⁷

Oklahoma chronic absence by school year

School year

Chronically absent

2017-18

not published

2018-19

not published

2024-25

19%

The numbers

On Oklahoma's report card for 2024-25, the statewide chronic absenteeism rate was 19%, as reported by an education news outlet¹.
The state reports the same measure as good attendance: in its 2025 report card, 81% of students maintained good attendance, below the 85% benchmark, and the state earned a D⁴.
Good attendance has slipped from 86.5% in 2017-18 and 86% in 2018-19 to 81% in 2024-25³.
The 19% rate is 5 percentage points above the state's pre-pandemic level of 14%¹.
Across reporting states, 22.6% of students were chronically absent in 2024-25, which AEI labels 2025⁷.
AEI's compilation of state-reported data lists Oklahoma at 22% for 2024-25 (AEI's 2025), so the figure differs by source⁶.

What state rules ask of each role

Original attendance records are official public records and must be kept daily in ink or recorded daily in the school district's Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF)-compliant Student Information System⁵.
The rule recommends, but does not require, that teachers also keep their own hard-copy attendance records so the system record can be checked if discrepancies arise⁵.
A student receiving homebound education services from the district is counted in attendance and does not accrue absences while in homebound status².

A student on an IEP or a Section 504 plan is counted in attendance and does not accrue absences while receiving offsite services outlined in that plan².
If such a student's condition worsens or needs more frequent treatments, the IEP or Section 504 plan should be updated².
Absences related to a student's own or household's homeless status should be excused under the federal McKinney-Vento Act².

Absences that law or policy treats as a valid reason to miss school should be marked "excused" in the school's student information system; medically documented absences are excused under 70 O.S. § 10-105(B)².
An excused absence does not automatically qualify for a medical exemption from the chronic absenteeism indicator; to be considered under a medical exemption policy, it must fall under the rule's definition of a "significant medical condition"².
Even for a student found to have such a condition, absences not related to it, such as routine illnesses or medical appointments, are not eligible for exemption².
Each school district must keep an addendum to its attendance records that verifies the number of each student's absences for activities⁵.

Attendance records must be kept by a competent individual under the principal's supervision, at each school, and made available during the summer for inspection and audit⁵.
At the close of the school year, the district superintendent must keep on file all registers of pupil attendance, enrollment and transportation, and the class record books of teachers and principals under the superintendent's supervision⁵.
A district or charter school may adopt a policy under which a medical exemption review committee it forms can exempt absences due to a significant medical condition (a severe, chronic, or life-threatening physical or mental illness, injury, or trauma) from the chronic absenteeism indicator².
A district or charter school that has adopted such a policy and found absences medically exempt must report them to the state's Office of Accountability, which may set an annual reporting deadline².
It must keep all documentation the review committee considered and make it available to regional accreditation officers for auditing².

What changed lately

State lawmakers in 2025 removed chronic absenteeism from school performance evaluations; the state cites SB711^3,4.
Pending federal approval of the state's ESSA plan amendment, chronic absenteeism will no longer be a required measure beginning in the 2025-2026 reporting year, though improvements in attendance may be calculated for bonus points⁴.
A school's attendance rate will not count against its A-F grade on the 2025-26 report cards, which had not been released when this was reported³.
The U.S. Department of Education confirmed to reporters that it was considering the state's request to use a new measure in place of chronic absenteeism¹.
The state will still include chronic absenteeism in yearly report cards as a non-graded metric, a state education department spokesperson confirmed³.

How the state holds schools to it

Oklahoma included chronic absenteeism as an indicator in its school accountability system under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)².
The state rule on the indicator defines chronic absenteeism as absence at least 10% of the time school is in session while the student is enrolled: 18 or more days on a 180 day calendar, or 10% or more of school days on a 1,080 hours calendar².
In the 2025 report card, 81% of students maintained good attendance against an 85% benchmark for adequate progress, and the state earned a D⁴.
About 95% of students would have to be in good attendance for the state to earn an A on this measure³.
Absences exempted under a district's medical exemption policy are not included in the indicator's calculation. In the event of an emergency declared by a federal or state government entity that impacts the operation of public schools in Oklahoma, or upon an action taken by the State Board of Education declaring such an emergency, student absences related to a state of emergency shall not be included in the calculation of the chronic absenteeism indicator².
Under the state's proposal to the U.S. Department of Education, schools that lower chronic absenteeism could still score bonus points, but the indicator won't be used to identify schools needing improvement¹.

Efforts with results

Kingfisher Public Schools, 50 miles northwest of Oklahoma City, had 95% of its students in good attendance in 2024-25, according to the state report cards³.
In Tulsa, the state's largest district, the chronic absenteeism rate has declined over the past two years from 44% to 37%, according to news reporting¹.

Oklahoma, year by year