Chronic absenteeism drops in Calcasieu schools

Published 8:20 am Wednesday, July 30, 2025

Chronic absenteeism decreased in Calcasieu Parish during the 2024-25 school year.

The Calcaiseu Parish School District participated in a pilot program aimed at combating absenteeism, which is linked to lower literacy rates and underperformance, alongside seven other Louisiana School Systems last year.

The Louisiana State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE), the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC), the Success Through Attendance Recovery Task Force (STAR) and EveryDay Labs collaborated to jumpstart the initiative in response to rising chronic absenteeism.

Chronic absenteeism surged to 28 percent in 2021, according to a release from EveryDay Labs.

EveryDay Labs uses behavioral science and evidence-based strategies to address truancy. The pilot program used “targeted interventions, tools, training and support, leading to tangible improvements across the participating districts.”

The pilot program targeted communication to at-risk students and their families, while also directing families to resource services or agencies when necessary, Superintendent Jason VanMetre told the American Press.

Six of the seven districts saw improvement equal or greater than the national average: Calcasieu Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish, Jefferson Parish, Tangipahoa Parish, West Baton Rouge and Zachary Community.

Calcasieu, East Baton Rouge and Jefferson parishes reduced absenteeism by six to 10 percent. Tangipahoa Parish and Zachary Community reduced absenteeism by 11 to 20 percent, and West Baton Rouge reduced absenteeism by over 30 percent.

“We recognize the value of our students and the importance of their trajectories through their learning careers — and attendance is a fundamental prerequisite to that success,” said Brace “Trey” Godfrey, Senior Vice President of Policy, BRAC, in a release. “The gains we’re seeing show what’s possible when we work collectively and with urgency to ensure every student has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.”

Calcasieu Parish was selected for the pilot program because of the district’s size and student attendance rate, and because the district wanted to participate, said Superintendent Jason VanMetre.

The pilot program allowed for “targeted expansion of the district’s mission” to reduce chronic absenteeism. CPSB has focused on absenteeism because high attendance rates are important, as students have to physically be at school to learn well.“While district staff does a great job of making sure that students receive a high-quality education while with us, we also have to ensure that our students are present at school every day,” he said. “These efforts are not new to the district but will continue to be emphasized as we move into this new year.”