According to a September 23, 2026 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, federal calculations for measuring student chronic absenteeism rates are unreliable and improbable. Specifically, the GAO took issue with how the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) counts enrolled students, which is based on a single day count on October 1 even though students identified as chronically absent for federal reporting requirements are counted over an entire school year.
Under the Trump administration, the USDE has cut staff by over 85% at its Institute of Education Sciences — the office responsible for EDFacts data collection. EDFacts is the USDE’s data submission and storage hub. The USDE’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (OESE) workforce has been reduced by 43%. OESE “serves as data steward for the chronic absenteeism data collection,” the report said.
To receive federal funding, states must report on chronic absenteeism rates and many other activities. As of the 2025-26 school year, there were 36 states that include chronic absenteeism as an indicator in their statewide accountability systems. Some states, the report said, also independently set attendance goals.
At least 25% of students nationally have been chronically absent in recent years. Chronic absenteeism is when a student misses 10% or more school days over the course of a school year for any reason.
In addition to improving chronic absenteeism calculations, GAO recommends the USDE restart comprehensive monitoring to ensure states are meeting federal fiscal and program requirements. However, the USDE disagreed with this recommendation, saying that while it paused comprehensive monitoring in 2026, it is conducting targeted monitoring activities and will reveal a monitoring plan for next year.
Click here to access the GAO report.
Source: K-12 Dive.