The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) is joining schools, families and community partners across the state in recognizing September as Attendance Awareness Month. Governor Tina Kotek issued a proclamation earlier this month, affirming the importance of regular attendance and Oregon’s shared commitment to supporting students.
“As we begin the 2025-26 school year, we are placing renewed focus on helping every child build the habit of showing up every day,” said Dr. Charlene Williams, ODE Director. “This is especially important for our youngest learners, as early attendance lays the foundation for literacy, belonging and long-term academic success.”
This year’s emphasis on young learners comes as Senate Bill 141 (2025) expanded the educational accountability system by adding a number of new performance metrics for school districts. Those metrics include a dedicated Early Learner Attendance Metric to track, monitor and support improved attendance for students in kindergarten through second grade.
Research shows that consistent attendance in the early grades is directly linked to reading at grade level by third grade and to long-term school success. Starting the year with strong attendance helps children feel welcomed, connected and ready to learn, setting a positive tone for the months ahead.
Success Stories from Around the State
Across Oregon, districts are leading the way with innovative approaches to supporting attendance in the early grades, including the following:
- Centennial School District – Pleasant Valley Elementary: In 2023-24, the regular attender rate rose to 68.9%, a gain of 11.4 percentage points from the 2022-23 school year (57.5%). The district attributes success in part to a partnership with The Shadow Project, an ODE community partner, that provides teachers and assistants with training to help students build core skills such as literacy. As their skills level up, so too does their sense of belonging at school. The result is often improved attendance. Additionally, Pleasant Valley and all Centennial schools are taking a multi-pronged approach to increasing attendance as a priority area of focus, including increasing a sense of belonging through Social Emotional Learning and rigorous and engaging academics.
- Coos Bay School District – Eastside School, Elementary: In 2023-24, the regular attender rate rose to 70.3%, a gain of 17.1 percentage points from the 2022-23 school year (53.2%). Compared with 33.4% in 2021-22, this reflects a two year improvement of 36.9 percentage points. Kindergarten attendance increased 26 percentage points from 2022-23 (44.1%) to 2023-24 (70%). District personnel attribute attendance growth to a concentrated focus on serving and supporting families, including targeted communication and outreach. The district’s work around foundational reading skills and improving outcomes for all students, including being a partner district with Oregon Response to Instruction & Intervention, has also helped students have ownership over their academic trajectory.
- Ontario School District – Aiken Elementary School: In 2023-24, the regular attender rate rose to 90.7, a gain of 4.2 percentage points from the 2022-23 school year (86.5%). Efforts to support attendance include strengthening student and building safety, increasing mental health supports, increasing support for K-3 literacy and districtwide family engagement. At Aiken Elementary, when a student or family is experiencing barriers to attendance, staff meet with families through in-person meetings, home visits, virtual meetings during parents’ lunch breaks from work and offer other flexible options to ensure families have the support they need. Additionally, the school has coordinated before or after-school care and transportation for students with local providers to help students get to and from school on-time through partnerships with local daycare facilities and Boys and Girls Club of Western Treasure Valley, an ODE community partner.
- Yoncalla School District – Yoncalla Elementary School: In 2023-24, the regular attender rate rose to 63.8%, a gain of 5.9 percentage points from the 2022-23 school year (58%). Compared with 40.6% in 2021-22, this reflects an improvement of 23 percentage points over two years at the same time that elementary enrollment grew by 50% in 5 years. This achievement reflects a focus on building good attendance habits beginning in preschool through family engagement, learning opportunities and visible attendance reminders. These practices have fostered a welcoming school culture where students want to attend school. As a result, attendance is stronger across kindergarten and other grades.
Supporting Families and Schools
As the new school year begins, ODE encourages all schools and communities to embrace Attendance Awareness Month as an opportunity to strengthen relationships, support student well-being, and help every child build the habit of showing up every day.
ODE provides schools with tools to build relationships with families and help families establish routines from day one. Resources include:
- A monthly virtual learning series for educators, community partners and state leaders.
- A yearlong planning guide for district and school leaders.
- An attendance tracker that families can customize and print to monitor attendance throughout the year.
- External resources to connect families with needed support.
For a full list of resources, visit every-day-matters.org.
