States have truancy policies to deter unlawful absences from school, but what constitutes truancy, the approaches for reducing it, and the associated penalties for students experiencing truancy varies. Some states take a restorative approach, but in most states, families can receive harsh criminal penalties, including fines and jail time, for truancy. Because there can be severe consequences for truancy, data on students and families affected by truancy policies are critical for oversight, yet it is not clear whether such data are systematically available.
This is especially important because truancy policies can widen disparities already present in education systems. Black and Hispanic students often receive harsher discipline than white students for the same infractions and are more likely to experience truancy, putting them at heightened risk of experiencing punitive responses to truancy. Without good data, policymakers cannot evaluate whether truancy policies reduce unlawful absences or whether they unintentionally and disparately harm students and families.
Key Findings
- We find wide variation in the collection, reporting, and availability of truancy data by state; just 22 states and DC collect and have accessible data.
- Of those, only 7 states collect data on schools’ responses to students experiencing truancy, which provide the clearest picture of how truancy policy affects students and families.
- Fourteen states collect unexcused absence data, rather than truancy data; while these data provide at least some insight into truancy levels, they do not indicate whether truancy policy was applied.
- Twenty-seven of the 37 states with truancy or unexcused absence data entertain requests for student-level data, including demographics.
- Fourteen states either do not collect or do not make available data on truancy or unexcused absences.
- Only 16 states post their aggregated truancy or unexcused absence data publicly on their websites.
- States with truancy data had more Black students, on average, a slightly higher share of white students, and fewer Hispanic students.
- White students and non–economically disadvantaged students performed slightly better academically in states with truancy data.
Implications
Even when truancy data are available, only some states provide data that would allow for analyses of potential disproportionate effects of truancy policies. States that collect and report truancy data tend to have more resources; states with fewer resources might not have the capacity to collect and report on truancy in a way that allows for oversight, and this lack of data may further disadvantage students in states with few resources.
This analysis shows there is a need for more robust truancy data collection and reporting across states, which could allow for more effective oversight of truancy policies. Future research should examine whether marginalized students experience more negative truancy-related outcomes in states that lack data. Additionally, increasing equity in school resources is a way to potentially overcome logistical barriers to stronger truancy data collection and reporting. The systematic availability of good data is important for identifying potential disparities, and the use of data can help identify and prevent harmful outcomes for students who are already marginalized.
