​​Low-income children may be more likely to miss school for health reasons

Children from low-income families are more likely to be chronically absent due to health issues, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), as the Guardian reported. 

Several studies have shown that chronic absenteeism, a term defined as missing 15 or 18 days over the school year depending on the study, had nearly doubled between 2019 and 2022. This finding adds complexity to the fight against chronic absenteeism — a post-pandemic issue that has become a key concern.

“School attendance is associated with improved health not only in childhood, but into adulthood,” said Lindsey Black, a researcher with the NCHS Division of Health Interview Statistics, as the Guardian reported. With the recent spike in absenteeism, the NCHS wanted to dig into the details of which students were missing more school.