Familiar Faces in High School: How Having the Same Peers from Year-to-Year Links to Student Absenteeism

Abstract

Student absenteeism is a persistent concern in K-12 education. Not only are the negative academic and social consequences of excessive absenteeism well documented, but states, districts, and schools are increasingly being held accountable for student attendance. As research indicates that disruptions in students' learning contexts may exacerbate absenteeism, peer consistency shows promise as a force for improving student attendance. This article examines whether having familiar faces, or consistent classmates from one year to the next, influences student attendance. Using four years of administrative data from a small, urban high school district in California, we find that familiar faces are associated with reduced rates of overall absences, chronic absenteeism, and chronic truancy.

A Matter of Course: Student Attendance Under New Graduation Requirements of the Texas Foundation High School Program

“…Our findings scratch the surface of potential explorations around the use of high school coursework to reengage students in better attendance behaviors. Future research should consider the role of peer dynamics in the endorsement pathway framework in Texas and in states with similar graduation structures (Kirksey & Gottfried, 2018;Kirksey & Elefante, 2022). Moreover, STEM and STEM-CTE coursework throughout Texas and the U.S. continue to have limited availability given staffing and overall resource shortages, but previous research has shown the promise of having solid school transportation infrastructure in place to improve student attendance and access to courses (Gottfried, 2017).…”