Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) are struggling with high absenteeism, according to a new report.
A+ Schools, a Pittsburgh-based non-profit that aims to improve the quality of education for students, recently released an annual report that details chronic absenteeism in PPS.
The "Report to the Community on Public School Progress in Pittsburgh" said that in the 2022-2023 school year, 34% of PPS’ students were chronically absent.
PPS presides over 56 schools and 18,652 students.
That means over 6,000 students missed 10% or more of the days they were enrolled, whether that was for unexcused or excused reasons.
Executive Director of A+ Schools, James Fogarty, told Fox News Digital that despite the new numbers, they’ve seen an overall reduction of chronic absence after working to improve attendance.
"A+ Schools has partnered with PPS to bring Everyday Labs interventions to Pittsburgh. In the first year of implementation, we've seen an overall reduction of chronic absence of 16% (from 2021-22 to 2022-23)," Fogarty said.
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Fogarty added that a myriad of barriers contribute to chronic absenteeism, including bus driver shortages; streets where sidewalks need repairing, meaning parents might keep kids home if the weather is bad; and families facing economic disadvantages that may need older children to care for younger siblings if they're sick.
Another issue is that students were not ready to learn, according to Fogarty.
"The pandemic created a lot of lost learning time. While academic achievement is starting to recover, there are a large number of students that need tutoring and other support to catch up," Fogarty said.
Sarah Silverman, chair of the A+ Schools board of directors, told Next Pittsburgh, "The data definitely demonstrates that we have struggled here in Pittsburgh."
She explained further, "One, it’s still really important to have transparency, to pay attention to the data, and to look at it even when it’s not particularly pleasant. But also, that it’s really important that we all work together to bring the solution to bear."
Data in the report shows that PPS spends $30K per student each year.
PPS officials did not immediately respond for comment.
The Pittsburg numbers come after a recent report showing two-thirds of American students attended a school with high levels of chronic absence, a dramatic increase from the levels before the COVID-19 pandemic.
