Charter Schools Beat State Absenteeism Averages
Two Massachusetts schools kept student attendance high in 2025-26 through targeted family and school partnerships.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Secondary Education
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Two southeastern Massachusetts charter schools reported chronic absenteeism rates below the 17.1% state average for the 2025-26 school year. Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing at least 18 days of the 180-day academic calendar.
Why it matters
Understanding these attendance trends helps families evaluate school culture and the effectiveness of community engagement strategies. Lower absenteeism is often linked to stronger family partnerships and an academic environment that emphasizes consistent daily participation.
Foxborough Regional Charter School recorded a 10.4% rate, while New Heights Charter School of Brockton saw 15% during the 2025-26 year. These figures compare to a 17.1% statewide average, significantly lower than the 30% peak reached in 2022 but above the 13% pre-pandemic baseline.
The players
Foxborough Regional Charter School
A public charter school in southeastern Massachusetts that focuses on academic performance and consistent attendance.
New Heights Charter School of Brockton
A public charter school that aims to eliminate chronic absenteeism through strong family engagement.
The details
These schools maintain attendance by fostering consistent communication between administrators and families to identify and remove barriers to student presence. They also focus on creating a college-going culture that highlights the importance of daily participation. The goal is to minimize time lost, with New Heights Charter School of Brockton explicitly targeting zero chronic absenteeism.
Timeline
2022 marked the post-pandemic peak for absenteeism at nearly 30%.
The 2025-26 school year serves as the primary period for this data.
The Home Front
While attendance is improving across Massachusetts, the statewide rate remains above the pre-pandemic baseline of 13%. These local results highlight how school-specific cultural initiatives can help bridge the gap toward pre-2020 attendance standards.
Families should check the attendance policies and communication channels at their children's schools to stay informed on status alerts. Monitoring your student's attendance records early in the year can help you intervene before reaching the 18-day threshold for chronic absenteeism.
The takeaway
Maintaining consistent attendance is a key factor in long-term academic success for students across the state. Families can support this by prioritizing school-home communication and reviewing their own student's absence records against the 18-day chronic absenteeism limit.
Further reading
For more on how local schools manage academic engagement, see the latest updates from Secondary Education.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Enterprise.
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