School absenteeism in the post‐pandemic world

Abstract

We are starting to learn about the long‐reaching effects of the pandemic on children's education. Media has tended to focus on declines in test scores, with particular attention paid to effects on educational disparities. At the same time, rates of truancy have also dramatically increased. McKinsey & Co (December 2021) reported the rates of chronically absent students to be 22%, which is double the rate from prior to the pandemic, and noted that this may result in an additional 1.7 million to 3.3 million 8th‐12th graders dropping out of school.