The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has proposed a shift in how student attendance is measured and used in evaluating school performance. The board intends to replace the current “chronic absenteeism” metric—which counts students who miss 10% or more of the school year—with a “consistent attendance” measure that tracks the percentage of students attending at least 90% of school days. While this appears to be a change in terminology, it coincides with a significant adjustment in how attendance factors into school accountability.

Under ISBE’s proposed framework, consistent attendance would serve as a positive indicator that can enhance a school’s rating but would no longer negatively affect the school’s overall performance classification. This marks a departure from the longstanding practice in Illinois and most other states, where chronic absenteeism is included as a core accountability measure and can lower a school’s standing.

Attendance data have been widely recognized as a crucial component in assessing school effectiveness. Research consistently links regular attendance with improved academic outcomes such as higher grades and standardized test scores. According to data from Chicago Public Schools, chronically absent students miss an average of 18 days per year, with about 40% of CPS students fitting this category—substantially higher than the state average of roughly 25%. These figures underscore attendance as a critical issue in evaluating school performance and student success.

While ISBE acknowledges that many attendance challenges stem from factors beyond schools’ control—such as transportation issues, health concerns, and family circumstances—experts caution against downplaying the role of school environments in influencing attendance. Recent research from the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research highlights that students’ sense of belonging, relationships with teachers, and feeling valued at school are strong predictors of attendance, even after accounting for outside barriers. The consortium’s January 2026 report emphasizes that these social and emotional factors are measurable and critical drivers of students’ decisions to attend school.

Critics of the attendance metric change express concern that removing attendance as a negative factor in school ratings could diminish the incentive for schools to actively address absenteeism. Maintaining robust attendance indicators is viewed as essential for transparent accountability and for supporting targeted interventions aimed at improving student engagement and outcomes.

As Illinois revises its approach, the debate continues over how best to balance accountability with sensitivity to external challenges facing families, while ensuring schools remain focused on creating supportive and inclusive environments that encourage student attendance. The impact of these changes will become clearer as the updated metrics are implemented and their effects on school performance reporting are observed.