“We are not where we want to be with attendance,” Superintendent Tabitha Branum said. “We’ve made great gains, ... but we still have work to do.”
Breaking it down
Matthew Gibbins, assistant superintendent of administrative services, reviewed the fall semester’s average daily attendance results in comparison to RISD’s District Improvement Plan, which set the district-wide attendance goal at 96%.
Average daily attendance is the percentage of students physically present each day, and it serves as the core measure of student presence. RISD’s average daily attendance for the 2025 fall semester was 94.69%, putting the district a little over 1 percentage point behind its goal, although Gibbins said RISD is in line with the statewide average.
Branum said the biggest opportunities for improvement are with the youngest and oldest students—pre-K and kindergarten students and high school juniors and seniors have the lowest attendance rates across the district.
Going forward
Gibbins introduced several new strategies aiming to increase attendance this spring:
- Create attendance incentive programs using a portion of recaptured attendance funds
- Identify specific reasons for chronic absenteeism and implement personalized outreach to remove barriers
- Utilize tiered system of supports to formalize individual attendance interventions
- Offer parent information sessions at campuses with lowest attendance to provide information about the impact of attendance and strategies for improvement
Every campus also has a targeted attendance goal in its campus improvement plan, and many schools have already introduced attendance incentive programs centered around competitions or rewards.
Why it matters
Attendance is the biggest predictor of student success, Gibbins said, and directly correlates with increased academic achievement, fewer learning interventions, better test scores and higher graduation rates.
Gibbins said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also found that student connectedness is one of the strongest predictors of mental health. Students who attend school regularly have more opportunity to develop relationships with peers and adults.
Additionally, school funding in Texas is based on the average daily attendance, not on student enrollment. A 1 percentage point increase in attendance—330 more students attending each day across the district—would generate close to $2.5 million more in revenue, Gibbins said.
“It’s not 100% attendance — we just need a few more kids to attend every day,” said David Pate, assistant superintendent of finance and support services.
Put in perspective
Texas is one of six states that still base district funding on student attendance rather than enrollment.
“It’s incredibly difficult to be funded on average daily attendance,” board member Megan Timme said. “I think it’s important that if we want to hold districts accountable for what they’re able to do in a year, then we fund them appropriately for what they’re having to staff for and execute.”
Board member Eric Eager said it’s becoming harder for the district to maximize the available funding to create the best outcomes for students.
“Regardless of how many students show up today, the costs are the same,” Branum said.
Although Timme stressed that students should still stay home when they are sick, she said parents should keep attendance in mind when making appointments or plans.
“When our families value the presence in the classroom and their presence in school for attendance, you’re valuing their education,” Timme said. “You’re also supporting educators and you’re supporting this district.”
