Salem, Oregon – Oregon classrooms are seeing a slow but steady shift in the right direction. Early numbers from the 2025-2026 school year show 2,655 more students are attending school regularly compared with last year, extending a statewide improvement streak to three consecutive years.
The latest gain comes after 3,111 additional students reached regular-attendance status in 2024-2025. Since Gov. Tina Kotek took office, 23,426 more Oregon students are regularly showing up for class, while early analysis indicates the statewide regular attendance rate has climbed by nearly six percentage points.
“The work of making sure families and educators can help their students get to school is part of improving educational outcomes for our students, from improving reading and math skills to increasing graduation rates,” Kotek said.
“When students aren’t in class, they’re not getting the education they deserve. Let’s keep working together to do more to improve student attendance.”
Oregon considers students regularly attending when they are present for at least 90% of their enrolled school days.
Attendance can have consequences well beyond a single missed lesson. Students in kindergarten through third grade who attend regularly are more likely to read at grade level. By sixth grade, absenteeism is one of three indicators that a student may eventually drop out of high school. By ninth grade, attendance is a stronger predictor of graduation than eighth-grade test scores.
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State officials also say missed school is often tied to problems outside the classroom. Transportation difficulties, limited health care access and unstable housing can all contribute to chronic absenteeism, meaning schools frequently need cooperation from families and community organizations to address the underlying causes.
Oregon is also changing how quickly it tracks the problem. House Bill 4154, approved during the 2026 legislative session and signed by Kotek, requires quarterly attendance reporting. The goal is to give the state more timely information about attendance patterns and barriers keeping students out of class.
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The Oregon Department of Education is supporting that work with resources for schools and families, including a monthly virtual learning series, a yearlong planning guide for district and school leaders, a customizable family attendance tracker and connections to outside support services.
Additional attendance resources are available at every-day-matters.org.
Kotek also proclaimed September Student Attendance Awareness Month, encouraging parents, educators and communities to continue building on the gains already recorded statewide.
