Creating Welcoming Schools: The Role of Positive Climates in Reducing Absenteeism
Abstract
Chronic absenteeism has risen significantly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and while attempts to redress absenteeism can target drivers at multiple ecological levels, this study focuses on a within-school factor: student perceptions of school climate. Using statewide data from middle and high school students in Georgia, we examine how aggregated student-reported climate measures relate to absenteeism. We find that students’ perceptions of climate significantly predict school-level absenteeism rates, with the relationship most pronounced for Black and White students. The association between worsening climate perceptions and absenteeism is stronger than the association for improving ones, and connectedness and safety are the climate elements most related to absenteeism. Our results position school climate as a within-school lever that stakeholders can target to combat absenteeism.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Youth Substance Use and School Attendance
Grit
Self-Efficacy
and Motivation
Early Childhood Education and Development
Publication details
- Journal / source
- American Educational Research Journal
- Publisher
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Volume
- 63
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 421–465
- Publication date
- 21 February 2026
- Language
- EN