When the class bell rings at Woodbridge High School in Prince William County, Virginia, students say they know exactly where they ought to be: in their seats.
“They’re strict this year,” said Saron, a junior who was among several Woodbridge High journalism students interviewed by the News4 I-Team for this report.
Another added: “It was a big jump.”
The students are talking about a doubling down on attendance expectations at their school – a push to get kids in their seats, in person and on time. Reducing chronic absenteeism has long been Prince William County Schools Superintendent LaTanya McDade’s mission, a spokesperson said, and at Woodbridge High, the students said they’re clear on expectations.
“If you’re late to class, if you are missing class, if you are caught around the school like walking out, the security guard will bring you to the school” for reinforcement, said Ma’at, a Woodbridge senior, describing what the students call “tardy sweeps.”
According to the district, those students need tardy passes to get back into class. Too many unexcused tardies could land them in detention, weekend school or a conference with the school and their parent. To reinforce that stricter attendance policy, many teachers at Woodbridge High have also eliminated online homework, giving assignments on paper only.
It feels like a big change, the students say, after the pandemic got many used to doing their work remotely. But in the years since the pandemic, data shows schools across the country have had trouble getting some of those students back in class.
“I have friends that just, like, don’t show up to class,” said Eliana, also a junior at Woodbridge High.
The students interviewed by the I-Team are admittedly the kind who like showing up – with one noting she’s in five AP classes that require intensive participation – but they say they want their classmates there too.
“Being in person is important. Like, you need that interaction,” said Helen, a senior.
If classmates aren’t in person for group projects, “you end up doing their part. It’s just more workload on you,” Eliana said.
It’s the kind of change teacher Andrea Lyons has been begging for in her Montgomery County, Maryland, high school.
“Attendance is the No. 1 thing we need to fix in order for education to go forward,” Lyons said. “If we can’t get students in the door, we can’t do anything.”
The I-Team met with Lyons over the summer, where she told News4 how bad the tardiness and attendance problem had become.
“I teach five sections, and I have approximately 32 students in each section. And when the bell rings to start first period, I routinely have four to six students on time for first period,” she said.
What’s more, so many students miss so much class, her school sets aside a few days each quarter so students can complete late assignments.
“We spend a lot of time planning these engaging lessons that can’t be done because you don’t know who’s going to show up every day. In addition, we have to stop our teaching and kind of freeze to let students make up work,” she said.
Montgomery County students who accrue 10 consecutive days of unexcused absences risk being withdrawn from school, according to MCPS policies reviewed by the I-Team. Lyons doesn’t want to see that happen, but said she believes the same policy lacks teeth because attendance doesn’t directly factor into a student’s grade.
Lyons said she’s worried too many students no longer see the value in being there.
“Students want to know: ‘What assignments do I have to do and when do I get them to you and how do I get the points?’” she said.
Still, she said her school has made some changes this year she hopes will encourage more students to be in class and on time, like bringing back final exams in some subjects and putting a hard deadline on late assignments.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Montgomery County Public Schools said it is working to reduce chronic absenteeism with an “attendance action plan” that it’s been implementing for several years.
“Using data-driven strategies, every school has set measurable goals, monitored attendance closely, and provided targeted support for students. Systemwide messaging has raised awareness, and teams of school staff have worked with families to remove barriers to attendance,” the statement read.
Data shows the attendance problem exploded during the COVID-19 pandemic and has improved since, but has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
The D.C.-based think tank American Enterprise Institute has the latest state-by-state data on chronic absenteeism, defined as missing at least 10% of a school year. According to that data:
- In the District, 40% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, an increase from 29% of students in 2018.
- In Maryland, 27% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year, up from 20% pre-pandemic.
- And in Virginia, 15% of students were chronically absent in the latest data, compared to 11% pre-pandemic.
“Virginia has really used its data,” said Hedy Chang, who leads the nonprofit Attendance Works.
Her organization highlights Virginia as a success story in getting kids back to school, noting Gov. Glenn Youngkin convened the chronic absenteeism task force two years ago and, since then, the state has developed a real-time data dashboard to understand when and where kids are missing class.
“It knows what’s going on with its schools. It knows which schools are affected. They’re using that data to target action,” she said.
Chang notes there’s growing research showing harsher truancy policies disproportionately affect low-income students. Her organization advocates for understanding what’s keeping a student from school and helping them solve it.
“There’s a fine line between conveying consequences but still offering supports so kids get what they need, because our long-term goal is we want kids to be educated and graduate,” she said.
Attendance Works knows there’s only so much schools can do on their own, with Chang noting: “Families have to be partners on this. They have to understand why school matters.”
The students the I-Team interviewed at Woodbridge High said – more than anything – it’s the push they get at home that matters most.
“I come from an East African household, and my mom does not play,” said Eliana, adding: “There’s no point in asking to stay home, because I know it’s not going to work.”
Saron said her parents, who also are East African, instilled in her the importance of showing up.
“If you can walk out of that bed, you can walk to school,” she said, prompting laughs from the group.
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