chronic-absenteeism
One in Four High Schoolers Is Chronically Absent
Tennessee's high school chronic absenteeism rate is nearly 50% higher than K-8, and the gap has widened every year since 2023.
Tennessee
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Tennessee, grounded in Tennessee Department of Education data.
Nashville Cut Chronic Absenteeism by 5.6 Points. The Gaps Stayed.
Davidson County posted the strongest attendance recovery among Tennessee's largest districts, but Black and low-income students still miss school at rates that dwarf their peers.
Tennessee's Hispanic-White Absence Gap Cut by More Than Half
The Hispanic-white chronic absenteeism gap in Tennessee narrowed from 6 percentage points to 2.5, even as the Black-white gap barely moved.
Tennessee Breaks Its Own Record: 92.3% Graduation Rate Marks the Highest Point in State History
Tennessee's graduation rate hit 92.3% in 2025, setting an all-time record on a growing cohort of nearly 75,000 students.
Three in Four Districts Still Above 2021 Levels
Only 35 of 142 Tennessee districts have recovered to 2020-21 chronic absenteeism levels. The pandemic reset attendance norms for 75% of communities.
More Coverage
equity
Three in Four Black Students in Tennessee Are in Class. Nashville's Playbook for the Rest.
Three in four Black students in Tennessee attend school regularly. Nashville cut its Black chronic absence rate 7.8 points in three years — the steepest sustained recovery of any large district in the state.
equity
80,000 Low-Income Students Are Missing School
Nearly 30% of Tennessee's economically disadvantaged students are chronically absent, and the poverty gap in attendance is wider now than before the pandemic spike.
district-spotlight
Tennessee's Billion-Dollar Turnaround Closes at 53.7% Absent
The Achievement School District ends after a decade with the state's worst chronic absenteeism rate, 85% enrollment loss, and research showing no long-term gains.
district-spotlight
Nearly One in Three Memphis Students Is Chronically Absent
Memphis-Shelby County Schools posted a 30.2% chronic absenteeism rate in 2024-25 while every other major Tennessee district improved. The gap is widening.
chronic-absenteeism
180,000 Students Still Missing Too Much School
Tennessee cut chronic absenteeism from its peak but the pace of improvement halved last year, leaving nearly one in five students chronically absent.