According to new data from the US Department of Education, chronic absenteeism is affecting students in all parts of the country, including students of all races and ethnicities and students with disabilities.
The new data, the first ever to collect such information on a national level, found that over 6 million, or 13% of all students, missed at least 15 days of school during the 2013-14 school year.
In an effort to show the public what a problem chronic absenteeism is, the department has created a new interactive website that shows the attendance epidemic in terms of geography, ethnicity, disability status, and school level.
