Wake County schools are staring down a stubborn attendance problem: nearly one in five students, about 18 percent, missed at least 10 percent of the school year and are now classified as chronically absent, according to district figures. The missed days are not spread evenly. Hispanic, limited-English-proficient, Black and special-education students are bearing the brunt, and district leaders say they need help from the entire community to turn things around. A new task force and a summer-to-fall attendance campaign are on the way.
As reported by The News & Observer, Wake County Public School System staff told the school board's student achievement committee that about 18 percent of students this year qualify as chronically absent, defined as missing 10 percent or more of their enrolled days. Michael Pesce, the district's director of social work, told the committee that the district cannot tackle the problem on its own and called for a shift toward relationship-based, year-round outreach to families instead of one-off warnings.
The district has hired the national nonprofit Attendance Works to audit current practices and recommend improvements. Officials outlined an aggressive summer timeline: convene an attendance task force in June, release intervention guidelines in July and publish a community messaging toolkit by August. As detailed by WRAL, those moves are expected to come with more training for school-based teams and clearer expectations for how and when teachers reach out to families.
Who is missing the most school
District data highlight stark gaps. Limited-English-proficient and Hispanic students each have chronic absence rates above 31 percent, special-education students are at about 29 percent and Black students are at roughly 27 percent. White students are closer to 10 percent and Asian students around 8 percent. Those subgroup figures were included in the materials presented to the student achievement committee, according to The News & Observer.
Statewide and historical context
State data show that North Carolina's chronic absence rate surged during the pandemic, reaching about 31 percent in 2022-23. Recent reporting puts the statewide rate at roughly 25 percent, still well above pre-pandemic levels. Wake, the state's largest district with more than 160,000 students, has set a clear goal in its strategic plan: by 2028, 95 percent of students should be in school at least 95 percent of the time. State numbers are available from MyFutureNC, and the district's plan is posted by the Wake County Public School System.
What experts recommend
Attendance Works, the nonprofit reviewing Wake's approach, advises districts to move away from threat-heavy truancy letters and toward positive, year-round messaging and targeted support. Its model leans on regular nudges from teachers, early outreach to families and stepped-up intervention for students whose absences start to climb. The group offers free toolkits that districts can adapt, including family handouts, sample scripts for educators and suggested calendars for reminder messages and supports. Examples and materials are available from Attendance Works.
Legal tools and limits
North Carolina law requires parents and guardians to make sure their children attend school and lays out a sequence of notices and referrals after multiple unexcused absences. Under G.S. 115C-378, principals and, ultimately, the courts can become involved if problems persist. Wake's procedures describe counseling, outreach and referrals that generally occur before any case reaches court, reflecting a mix of support and enforcement. The statute language is posted by the North Carolina General Assembly, and the district's attendance overview is on the Wake County Public School System website.
District leaders say they want the new push on attendance to be more than slogans. The plan is to pair messaging with concrete help, such as tackling transportation problems and building partnerships with community groups. Officials hope churches, businesses and civic organizations will join what they describe as a countywide call to action. As reported by WRAL, the goal is that this summer's planning will set up a coordinated fall campaign to bring chronically absent students back into classrooms and keep them on track.
