Brighton Believes Attendance Matters
As we begin the 2026–2027 school year, Brighton Central School District is making chronic absenteeism a district-wide priority. To be clear, most students/families are great about attendance on most days. BUT we do want to address what could be a strong challenge.
When your child is healthy and able to attend, they need to be in school—on time, every day. Every missed day means missed instruction, missed connections, and missed opportunities to learn and grow. This work is part of The Brighton Blueprint and its commitment to improving chronic absenteeism. Every day matters.
When students are present, they are better positioned to learn, connect, grow, and succeed. Please be on the lookout for information from the district regarding chronic absenteeism throughout the school year.
CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM: EVERY DAY MATTERS
Our district goal is 95% or higher average daily attendance. Missing 18 days, or 10% of a 180-day school year is considered chronic absenteeism.
2 DAYS a month can add up to chronic absence
18 DAYS missed in a 180-day year = 10% of school
95%+ attendance gives students more access to learning and connection
WHY ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Learning compounds. Students who are chronically absent in the early grades are less likely to be reading on grade level by third grade.
Middle school matters. Chronic absence is an early warning sign for academic difficulty and risk of dropping out.
High school attendance predicts completion. Attendance, course performance, and failures are powerful indicators of whether students are on track to graduate.
BRIGHTON BY THE NUMBERS: Data from the Class of 2026
322 students were a part of the 2026 cohort. 26% of those students were classified as being chronically absent.
Students that showed up had a 100% graduation rate.
Students that didn't attend regularly, graduated at a rate of 88%. We can be better!
OUR EXPECTATION: HELP THEM BE HERE
Families play a critical role in attendance. Our goal is simple: make attendance visible, measurable, and a shared responsibility across our community. Please make school attendance a priority, build routines that support being on time, schedule appointments and travel outside the school day whenever possible, and monitor your child’s attendance. If something is getting in the way, contact the school early so we can work with you to find a solution.
