During the last few years of my high school teaching career, we implemented a “Check-in/Check-out process” for students who needed extra support. This was before the days of SEL, and we were just a small community school trying to do what was best for our kids.
The process was simple: anyone on campus—teachers, administrators, secretaries, even bus drivers—could identify a student “in need” and make an anonymous request for administrators to investigate. Once identified, the student was paired with a staff member to check in with daily. We’d meet briefly in the morning to get them started on the right foot, and again at the end of the day to debrief. In most cases, we were successful.
But I often wonder: how many students did we miss, or catch too late? That question still haunts me.
Two students in particular stand out.
The first was a class clown with below-average grades, known for being late and disruptive. Through our daily check-ins, he started to focus more on his academics, improved his attendance, and even began mentoring younger students. Today, he’s thriving, and every time I run into him, I’m reminded why I became a teacher.
The second student was different. He was a transfer, chronically absent, failing academically, and deeply disconnected from school. Even with support, he transferred again and eventually dropped out.
Could something have been done sooner?
Chronic Absenteeism Today
Absenteeism has always been one of the toughest challenges schools face. While the latest national data shows chronic absenteeism has trended downward since the pandemic, rates remain much higher than before 2020.
According to Education Week, recent research estimates national chronic absenteeism at 22–24% for the 2024–25 school year.
FutureEd’s chronic absenteeism tracker shows that most states are still far from returning to their pre-pandemic levels—meaning thousands of students are quietly falling behind.
Even with incentive programs and attendance initiatives, too many kids are still slipping through the cracks. And when you’ve stood in front of those students—when you’ve seen both the ones who make it and the ones who don’t—you realize how critical it is to know sooner, not later.
Seeing the Warning Signs Early
Looking back, If we’d had live data, maybe I could have intervened earlier with my second student. That’s exactly what Early Warning Systems (EWS) are built for.
They don’t replace the relationships we build as teachers, but they give us the chance to step in sooner. They flag patterns after just a few missed days, notify staff so we can reach out, and help us track whether the support we put in place is actually working.
According to a June 2025 survey of 4,000 schools, 62% of schools now use universal screeners to identify students at risk.
(NCES School Pulse Panel)
Instead of waiting until the end of the quarter to realize a student has missed too many days, an EWS alerts schools when patterns start to emerge. With the right system, schools can:
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Flag concerning attendance trends after just a few missed days
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Notify staff so they can reach out early
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Provide families with support before absences pile up
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Track whether interventions are making an impact
The earlier schools intervene, the greater the chance of changing a student’s trajectory.
Bringing It All Together
Chronic absenteeism isn’t solved by one strategy or one incentive. It takes visibility, teamwork, and timely action. OnCourse’s EWS was built for this challenge. By combining attendance, behavior, and academic data, it helps schools identify at-risk students early, take action faster, and ultimately keep more kids in class where they belong. Check out a short preview of the Early Warning System, a tool within OnCourse SIS.
