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Attendance

The Allentown School District is a trusted partner for families to help your child attend school on time on the first day and every day during the school year.  We are providing helpful information, toolkits, and other resources to support your child’s attendance success.

Attendance Matters

Research shows that daily school attendance is critical for every student’s academic success and social-emotional well-being. Students with good attendance are more likely to:

  • Read on or above grade level.
  • Perform well in math.
  • Build healthy, lasting relationships at school.
  • Successfully graduate high school on time.

Children get much more than academics at school. They also learn social and emotional skills, get healthy meals and exercise; and stay connected to mental health supports and other important services.

Attending school on time, every day:

  • Provides your child with the opportunities for discovery, exploration, learning, and achievement they need to thrive.
  • Allows teachers to best support your child’s academic progress and their unique learning styles and abilities.
  • Offers students real-time access to the technology and other educational resources they need to engage in their education.
  • Leads to daily interactions with teachers, peers, and support staff who help students develop friendships, learn more about themselves, build empathy, and better handle stress. This is especially important for children with diverse learning needs.

The more school time a student misses:

  • The less likely they are to be proficient in math and reading by fourth grade, which is when students are no longer learning to read, but reading to learn.
  • The less likely they are to graduate high school on time.
  • The more likely they are to drop out of school.
  • The more challenging it becomes to catch up.

Nonetheless, it’s never too late to work with your child’s school to help improve attendance.

Families can help children achieve good attendance and stay on track at every grade level by:

  • Familiarizing yourself with the District’s student attendance requirements.
  • Ensuring your child is prepared for the school day.
  • Informing the school of your child’s absence.
  • Provide written excuse notes to the school when your child is absent.