Compulsory attendance

Good attendance is important for many reasons. Your child receives the maximum benefit of education by being in school every day, and numerous studies show a strong link between academic performance and consistent attendance. Because attendance is so critical for the quality of your child’s education, Texas has a compulsory attendance law.

State law requires children to attend school each day that instruction is provided. If you voluntarily enroll your child in prekindergarten or kindergarten, school attendance laws apply to your child. 

Absences excused by law

Although perfect attendance is the goal, it’s not always possible. School districts are required to excuse a student’s absence for reasons listed in state law, such as to:

• Observe a religious holy day

• Attend a required court appearance

• Serve as an election clerk

• Attend a healthcare appointment

The Texas Education Code describes these reasons in greater detail and lists additional statutorily excused absences.

Absences excused by district

Your school district has its own criteria for determining what else is considered an excused absence. Generally, an absence may qualify as excused in cases of:

• Personal illness

• Death of an immediate family member

• Medical treatment

Excessive absences

Both the child and parent are responsible for unexcused absences. After too many unexcused absences, the school is required to notify the parent. A compulsory attendance notification will be sent to the parent if a student has unexcused absences on 10 or more days or parts of days within a six-month period or three days or parts of days during a four-week period. Notice it says “parts of days.” This means that leaving school early, or arriving excessively late in the day, even if the child attended for some of the day, may count as an absence.

The compulsory attendance letter gives the parent notice that the student has accumulated too many unexcused absences and gives the parent a chance to correct the child’s attendance record.

A student with excessive absences may also be subject to truancy prevention measures. These measures may include a behavior improvement plan, school-based community service, or a referral to counseling to name a few. In addition, parents may be criminally charged or fined if their child continues to miss school.

The 90 percent rule

In addition to compulsory attendance law, districts are required to enforce the 90 percent rule, which states that students in grades K-12 must attend class for 90 percent of the time it is offered to receive credit or a final grade. The 90 percent rule applies to all absences, including excused absences. If the student doesn’t meet this requirement, an attendance committee may grant the student credit or a final grade, depending on the circumstances.

The Student Handbook explains your school’s guidelines on absences, tardies, and making up missed schoolwork. Becoming familiar with the school’s policies will help you manage your child’s attendance and ensure that he or she avoids too many missed school days.

For questions regarding attendance, please contact CSE Attendance Clerk, Monique Lira.