Attendance
Good attendance supports academic success and gives your student the best chance for a bright future. We’re here to support you every step of the way and would love to learn about your hopes and dreams for your student.
Strong communication between home and school is key. Our goal is to provide a safe, welcoming, and engaging educational experience. We understand that unexpected challenges arise, and we’re here to help. Please reach out to your student’s school—our caring staff is ready to listen, support, and assist you without judgment.
Good attendance will help your children do well in school, college and at work.
- Your children can suffer academically if they miss 10 percent of the school year or about 18 days. That can be just one day every two weeks, and that can happen before you know it.
- Some absences are unavoidable. We understand that children will get sick and need to stay home occasionally. The important thing is to get your children to school as often as possible.
- Sporadic absences, not just those on consecutive days of school, matter. Before you know it – just one or two days a month can add up to nearly 10 percent of the school year.
- If too many absences occur, it is still a problem whether they are excused or unexcused because they represent too much lost learning time in the classroom.
- Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Studies show many children who miss too many days in kindergarten and first grade can struggle academically in later years. They often have trouble mastering reading by the end of third grade.
- Preschool is a great time to start building a habit of good attendance. Young children with poor attendance in preschool also lose out on valuable learning time and if chronic absence continues into kindergarten, it can pull down academic achievement.
- By middle and high school, chronic absence is a leading warning sign that a student will drop out.
- Too many absent students can affect the whole classroom, creating churn and slowing down instruction.
- Families should avoid extended vacations that require your children to miss school. Try to line up vacations with the school’s schedule. The same goes for doctor’s appointments.
- For younger children, you can set a regular bedtime and morning routine. Make sure they get 9 to 11 hours of sleep. You can lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
- Get to know the teachers and administrators. With younger children, make sure you introduce your child to teachers before school starts and keep in touch with the teachers. For older students, school officials can help you stay on top of academic progress and social contacts to make sure your child is staying on track.
- Above all, set an example for your child. Show him or her that attendance matters to you and that you won’t allow an absence unless someone is truly sick. Avoid asking older students to help with daycare and household errands.
- You can turn to the school for help. Many schools offer services for the whole family.
- You can ask your principal to calculate chronic absence rates for the whole school. Even if your child attends regularly, it’s important to know how many students in your child’s school are missing 10 percent or more of the school year.
- Seek help from the school or community if you are facing tough challenges related to access to health care, unstable housing, poor transportation or lack of food. More schools and community agencies are working together to offer help for the whole family
Attendance Matters
Attendance Matters![]()
Attendance Matters
Missing a day of school here and there many not seem like much, but absences add up!
When a Student Misses 2 Days a Month
- They will miss 20 DAYS a year.
- They will miss 30 HOURS of math over the school year.
- They will miss 60 HOURS of reading and writing over the school year.
- They will miss over 1 YEAR of school by graduation.
When a Student Misses 4 Days a Month
- They will miss 40 DAYS a year.
- They will miss 60 HOURS of math over the school year.
- They will miss 120 HOURS of reading and writing over the school year.
- They will miss over 2 YEARS of school by graduation.
alternatives
alternatives ![]()
alternatives
LAVA
Please note that LAVA operates through a virtual independent study program and non-participation cannot be verified in the same manner as the district's in-person schools. Please refer to the Master Agreement or call the LAVA school at (661)488-7600.
Planning Ahead
Use the school calendar to plan vacations and appointments to minimize missed learning and school days.
We Are Here to Help
Call us at school when experiencing barriers or needing support from school staff.
Absence verification
Absence verification![]()
Absence verification
Although the expectation is that all students come to school and ON TIME EVERYDAY, and it's CA law, we do understand life happens. As long as your child is in good health and able to be at school, please send them to school.
This helps us avoid truancies and keep accurate student records by promptly verifying absences. You can use ParentSquare, written notes, or phone calls. Only parents or legal guardians can verify absences, and Compulsory Education Laws guide what's excused.
If your student is absent, please notify the school office by 10:00am on the day of the absence. If no contact is made, verify absences by providing a note to school upon return or via ParentSquare.
Example of excused absence Education Code 48205:
Common excused absences include illness, medical appointments, including doctor's notes, school nurse excuse absences, a death in the family, etc.
Example of unexcused absence:
Leaving school without proper clearance, extended vacations, taking vacations during school days, incomplete independent study work, or being needed at home. Unexcused absences include all absences that do not fall within EC48205.
Upon 10 or more days of excused absences, it is required that any further absences for illness be verified by a physician.
