Missing More Than School: Reducing Chronic Absence for American Indian and Alaska Native Students

Nearly half (47%) of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) students in the United States were chronically absent in school year (SY) 2021/22.1 This represents a 16.8 percent increase from the 30 percent chronic absence rates of AI/AN students prior to the pandemic. This knowledge brief describes ways to partner with AI/AN students, families, and communities to understand and address the challenges they face in attending and thriving in school.