Abigail Hamilton

In general, school absenteeism rates remain far higher and grade-level progress far lower than before the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s certainly the case in Colorado. Chronic absenteeism (defined as students missing 10 percent or more of a school year) is a major factor in learning loss, and in the Centennial State, it rose more than 13 percent between 2018–19 and 2021–22. District data reveal similar patterns: In 2022–23, 41 percent of Denver Public School students were chronically absent.