How a California high school takes a team approach to boost attendance

Reedley High School relies on a network of teams to monitor attendance, engage students and plan individualized interventions.

As principal of the 1,800-student Reedley High School in California, John Ahlin knows he can’t be in all places all the time, so he relies on a network of teams that monitor attendance, along with learning, teaching, school management, school culture and more. 

Ahlin credits this team approach for Reedley High’s low chronic absenteeism rate of 5.6%. Nationally, chronic absenteeism — measured as when students miss 10% of the school year, or about 18 days — was 29.7% in 2022, which is the last year for which nonprofit group Attendance Works has national data.