More than a quarter of Ohio students last year were chronically absent. That means they missed at least 10% of classroom instruction, or about two days of school a month. And whether the absences are excused or unexcused, it means they are much less likely to be proficient in reading or math. The percentage of children missing so much class is nearly twice what Ohio wants to see. But it’s much worse in Ohio charter schools, where the rate of chronic absenteeism last year was 34.6%.
