Chronic absenteeism on Long Island: See your school district's rate for 2024-25
Story is about chronic absenteeism in schools remaining high on LI-per state figures. Walt Whitman High School class. John Murphy, Walt Whitman Principal, spoke about some of the factors in his district keeping the rates elevated and how they hope to brings those figures down. Huntington Station April 24, 2026 Credit: Rick Kopstein
Chronic absenteeism in Long Island schools remained stubbornly high in 2024–25, despite efforts to get students back into the classroom following a surge in absences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Islandwide, 17.3% of students in public schools were chronically absent, meaning they missed 18 or more class days during the school year compared with 17.6% the year prior, according to a Newsday analysis of state data. While that is lower than the nearly 20% absenteeism rate in the 2021–22 academic year, when all New York schools reopened for full in-person learning, it still exceeds the 11.4% rate in 2018–19.
See how your district fared here:
