Attendance is a critical foundation for school success. Students need to attend school to achieve in school. In fact:

• High school students who attend school 95% of the time are one-and-a-half times more likely to be on-track to graduate on time.
• When students attend school they are much more likely to achieve their dreams and enroll in college.
• The more involved students are in school, the more likely they are to enjoy school and want to attend school.

We can’t teach students when they are not in school. We are calling on all parents, students and community members to help ensure that students attend school – every student, every day. Setting good attendance patterns at a young age can positively affect later behavior. 

We want all students to attend school at least 95% of the time – that means missing no more than nine days a year. Right now less than 60% of students meet this goal. Let’s work together to ensure that all Minneapolis Public Schools students are attending school all the time!

Tips for families

• Fact sheet - Learn what families, students, staff and community members can do to boost attendance in English, Spanish, Somali and Hmong.
• If your child needs to miss school, call the school as soon as possible
• Check your child’s attendance to see how many days they have missed
• Print this Attendance Scorecard to track your child's absences.
• Schedule vacations for days your children don’t have school so they don’t miss important learning days
• Learn about resources to help families find access to basic needs, child care, academic support and more.
• If your phone, email or street address changes, contact your school with updated information as soon as possible
• Read tips on how to support your child's learning experience from the Office of Family and Community Engagement

Learn more

• Research shows how attendance and achievement go together
• Compare attendance rates for different schools and student groups
• Remember that the Hennepin County Attorney's be@school program gets involved when students are absent too often.