Ohio's chronic absenteeism rate for the 2025-26 school year stood at 23.7%, according to the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. That figure counts students missing at least 10% of school hours for any reason. The rate has moved lower in recent years, though it remains above what Ohio saw before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Arya Ansari, a faculty associate at Ohio State University's Crane Center for Early Childhood Research and Policy, said the improvements have grown smaller. He said he does not want the state to accept a flattening curve and hopes Ohio can return to pre-pandemic absenteeism levels within five to 10 years. That timeline, he said, would not begin next year or the year after. He described the outlook as moderate to long-term and said no single fix would restore prior rates.
A 2022 Crane Center report cited by Ansari said one missed school day corresponds to 2.5 days of lost math learning and 1.5 days of lost language and literacy learning. Ansari said absenteeism can create a snowball effect and that students struggle to catch up. He cited poverty, housing instability, food insecurity, health challenges, and work schedules as barriers to attendance.
Among 2025-26 district rates, Garfield Heights City Schools had the highest at 61.9%, followed by Youngstown City Schools at 56.7% and Lorain City Schools at 56.5%. Cleveland Municipal and East Cleveland City Schools each recorded 54.2%.
Columbus City Schools, the state's largest district with about 45,000 students, saw its rate rise slightly to 53.8% from 52.6% in 2024-25. Its rate was 65% in 2021-22 and 32.7% in 2019-20. District spokesperson Michael Brown said Superintendent Angela Chapman considers reducing absenteeism one of the best ways to improve student education and test scores, report cards and graduation.
Janet Walton, network director for the Stay in the Game! Attendance Network, said students who are never chronically absent are about three and a half times more likely to read on grade level by the end of third grade. She said the network works with more than 200 districts and that attendance values shifted during the pandemic.