We provide different services to help students and their families understand the Houston ISD and TEA attendance policies. Our Outreach workers and Parent Liaisons focus on meeting individual student needs and collaborating with families, community organizations, and professional services to remove academic, social, and emotional barriers to student success.

These are some of the resources to ensure pre-K through 12th-grade students in every school are attending school in order to graduate.

Why focus on attendance?

Attendance matters for success in school and in life, and absences can easily add up to academic trouble.

Per the TEC Sec. 25.092, missing more than 10 percent (or 17 days) of school a year can lead to a student not receiving a grade or being retained.  More importantly, it represents lost time in the classroom and a lost opportunity to learn.

• A child is considered chronically absent if they miss two or more days a month. That includes unexcused and excused absences.
• Attendance matters as early as kindergarten. Studies show that children who miss too many days in kindergarten and first grade have trouble mastering reading.
• By grade 6, chronic absence is a proven warning sign that a student is at risk of dropping out.
• By grade 9, good attendance can predict graduations rates even better than eighth-grade test scores.
• Attendance also affects a school’s budget. When students miss class, their campus’ average daily attendance rate drops, which can reduce the funding it receives to support its programs. (Learn more about how public schools are funded here.)

• For complete details on HISD’s attendance policy, please visit the Federal & State Compliance website.

   

  TRUANCY ENFORCEMENT 

  If a student has three (3) unexcused absences within a 4 – week period, the student will receive a Warning Letter. The letter will be mailed to the student’s parent/guardian. A signed parent note or physician’s note must be submitted to the campus attendance office within three (3) days of the student’s return to school. If a note is not provided, the absence will be counted as unexcused. It is the parent’s responsibility to monitor a student’s school attendance and require the student to attend each entire class period for every school day.

  • If a student has three (3) unexcused absences in a 4 – week period, a student can be placed on an Attendance Contract.
  • If a student has thirteen (13) unexcused absences in a 6 – week period, an affidavit shall be issued.
  • In either case, the student’s attendance will be monitored for the remainder of the school year.
  • Outreach Workers by law have to file on student/parents who reach 13 unexcused absences in a 6 month period.
  • If you get a letter and have any questions, contact your child’s school Administrator or attendance clerk