SchoolStatus Expands Attendance Solution to Help Districts Identify Absenteeism Earlier

New time-based tracking features allow districts to better meet evolving state attendance mandates.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 1:37pm

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A softly focused, abstract scene of a classroom with desks and school supplies, conveying a sense of warmth and community through the use of muted, earthy colors and a dreamlike, impressionistic style.SchoolStatus' expanded attendance tracking solution helps districts identify and address absenteeism earlier, strengthening family engagement and improving student outcomes.Today in Sacramento

SchoolStatus, a leading provider of K-12 attendance solutions, has announced a major expansion of its Attend product. The updates include flexible, time-based attendance tracking that measures missed learning time rather than just full-day absences. This better captures how attendance impacts learning and helps districts intervene sooner. The expanded capabilities build on SchoolStatus Attend's innovative approach to attendance management, including features like Early Warning Insights and proactive, automated outreach to families.

Why it matters

Nationally, about 23% of students are chronically absent, meaning they've missed 10% or more of the school year. Many districts lack the bandwidth for proactive outreach, often sending intervention letters after students are already chronically absent. SchoolStatus Attend's proactive approach to attendance management consistently results in chronic absenteeism rates significantly lower than the national average.

The details

The new Attend features support better tracking and positive family engagement. Districts using SchoolStatus Attend will be able to track attendance by class period, based on missed instructional time, or on a rolling basis to account for students who miss a specified number of days in a defined period. SchoolStatus Attend also supports block scheduling and differing schedules school-to-school, providing precise, actionable views of student attendance.

  • SchoolStatus launched these updates in response to districts' evolving needs and state requirements in April 2026.
  • At the halfway point of the 2025-26 school year, Attend partners averaged 19% chronic absenteeism, or four percentage points below the national chronic rate.

The players

SchoolStatus

The leading provider of K-12 attendance solutions that partners with districts in all 50 states and serves more than 22 million students nationwide.

Dr. Kara Stern

Director of Education at SchoolStatus.

Dr. Margie Boulware

Executive Director of Special Programs at Corsicana ISD.

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What they’re saying

“Our data shows that proactive, systematic intervention works. Our product updates give districts the power to make this outreach personal, at scale, without overwhelming staff. That's when districts see real change.”

— Dr. Kara Stern, Director of Education at SchoolStatus

“When we took away the clerical piece of attendance interventions, principals became more connected to students and families. They started to recognize the real-life barriers to attendance. Now, they're connected to people and not paper.”

— Dr. Margie Boulware, Executive Director of Special Programs at Corsicana ISD

What’s next

In the coming months, SchoolStatus will release more ways to help districts reach families at all attendance levels, better understand trends, and focus on supporting positive outcomes for students.

The takeaway

SchoolStatus Attend's expanded time-based attendance tracking and proactive family engagement features empower districts to identify and address absenteeism earlier, ultimately improving student outcomes and reducing chronic absenteeism rates.