Over 96% of families at one South Side school are below the poverty rate. Here's how, their principal says, they manage to keep attendance up.
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 11:45PMAbsenteeism increased dramatically not only at Chicago Public Schools , but school districts around the country following the COVID-19 pandemic. A new University of Chicago study has some surprising results on what drives attendance.
Students at the Back of the Yards César Chavez Elementary School show up. The attendance rate at the CPS school is over 96%."In our last school improvement plan, it was the number one priority, because when we came back from the pandemic, our attendance dropped dramatically, and we knew that if students are not in school, they're not going to learn, regardless of how great the lessons are," said César Chavez Elementary Principal Barton Dassinger. But not all schools make attendance a priority. Since the pandemic, attendance rates have fallen dramatically around the country. A new report from the UChicago Consortium on School Research takes a look at what works and doesn't work within CPS. "The thing we found, which surprised us was this that the school that students attend actually makes more of a difference than the neighborhood in which they live," said Elaine Allensworth with the UChicago Consortium on School Research. The study compared schools in the same neighborhoods and looked at absences with students of similar backgrounds. The report found school climate makes a big difference. Principals prioritizing attendance, communicating with families, and helping kids get to school all help with attendance. Dassinger says relationships with families are essential. "If they need that support, whatever it may be, going to their house, walking them home, talking to parents about what they need," Dassinger said. Over 96% of Chavez families are below the poverty rate. Dassinger says attendance is the foundation to good academic outcomes. He says Chavez scores are double, triple and in some cases, quadruple compared to five other schools in the same neighborhood. "We actually find that the students who end up college ready are the students who come 95% or more days who really are not missing very much school at all," Allensworth said. The UChicago report will be presented at Wednesday's Chicago School Board meeting, The study has also been shared with the Chicago Teachers Union.
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