Thousands of N.J. students are still chronically absent, and other takeaways from 2022-23 School Performance Reports

On an average school day, thousands of New Jersey public school students are skipping school as fallout from the pandemic continues to disrupt education.

In its annual School Performance Reports, released Wednesday, the state Department of Education said while some schools have returned to pre-pandemic levels, others still lag in attendance.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more of school days. In the latest report, which is about the 2022-23 school year, 16.6% of New Jersey’s 1.4 million public students were chronically absent.

During the 2018-19 school year — before the pandemic disrupted in-person learning — the chronic absenteeism rate statewide was 10.6%. The rate was not reported for 2019-20 when schools were closed for months.

State officials attributed the absenteeism to students staying home because of sickness or exposure to COVID-19, or possible busing or transportation issues.

This is the first year since the pandemic that the annual report has provided a snapshot of how schools performed for a full school year since the shutdown. Many findings follow national trends showing that students were still experiencing significant challenges, the state said.

State Acting Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer and a team presented the findings to the state Board of Education at its monthly meeting. The report also includes various achievement and performance measures, such as graduation rates, PSAT and ACT test scores, dropout rates and dual enrollment measures.

Board members expressed concern because the latest attendance figures are worse than they were before the pandemic. Said one board member: “I say the house is on fire. If they’re not there, you can’t teach them.”

(New Jersey leaves it to individual districts to come up with attendance policies, but schools are required to open for 180 days.)

Absenteeism was highest among preschoolers, a trend that began during the pandemic when parents were reluctant to send younger children to school. Preschool is not mandatory, but experts say it promotes social and emotional development.

Among South Jersey districts, KIPP Cooper Norcross, Camden City and Camden Prep had the highest absentee rates, each at least twice the state average, although they all saw improvement from the last school year. Districts that also saw improvement in their rates were Beverly, Burlington City, Lindenwold and Paulsboro.

Districts with a chronic absenteeism rate of 10% or higher must submit a corrective action plan, the state said. A new website with resources to target attendance will be provided, too.

Here are some other takeaways from the School Performance Reports:

The report also found an increase in disciplinary incidents during the 2022-23 school year. Violence and vandalism, as well as harassment, intimidation and bullying (HIB) incidents also increased. The state said similar trends are occurring nationally.

A chart that prompted questions from board members showed there were 44,261 out-of-school suspensions, up from 37,791 the previous year.

HIB incidents went from 30,568 in 2021-22 to 36,039 in 2022-23. New Jersey has some of the toughest anti-bullying laws in the country. Schools are required to adopt policies to prevent harassment, intimidation and bullying.

The South Jersey districts with the highest number of incidents per 100 students in 2022-23 were Glassboro, Mount Holly, Willingboro, Lumberton, Burlington County Special Services School District and Somerdale.

Experts have said that the pandemic impacted students’ mental health and wellness, which may have contributed to the increases. Some are still recovering from learning losses when schools shifted to virtual lessons.

» READ MORE: Bullying in N.J. schools has jumped to its highest level ever, state report finds

A recent state report found that HIB incidents in the state’s public schools have escalated at an alarming rate to their highest levels ever. Bias-based incidents quadrupled between 2018 and 2023.

The state said newly available data that would show discipline incidents broken down by race and ethnicity will be released in the coming months. The state was expected to release the highly anticipated demographics Tuesday. A reason for the delay was not provided.

» READ MORE: A South Jersey high school student was kicked out for fighting. Her mother has spent the year trying to overturn the suspension.

The ACLU-NJ pushed the state Legislature to pass a bill recently to address allegations of racial disparities in school discipline. Previously, only statewide data, not aggregated by race, was made public.

The new law requires all public schools to report student expulsions and suspensions by race, ethnicity, gender, and eligibilty for free or reduced meals. Schools must also post the data annually on their websites.

State Attorney General Matthew Platkin has cited disproportionate discipline for some students of color when compared with the same actions committed by their white peers. He issued last August guidelines on steps schools should take to ensure that their policies treat all students fairly.

Although Black students comprise only 15.5% of the state’s student population, they account for 29.8% of referrals from schools to law enforcement, and 28.9% of arrests in schools, according to the state Department of Education..

According to the report, more students are taking Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes, but participation by students of color in economically distressed districts like Camden continues to lag behind counterparts in suburban districts.

About 35% of juniors and seniors statewide were enrolled in at least one AP or IB course for the 2022-23 school year. About 21% of students scored the 3 or higher needed to pass an AP exam, ranking third overall in the nation, the state said.

The more rigorous AP and IB classes are widely viewed as a stepping stone to college, giving students a head start. The offerings may vary widely depending on where students live and what school they attend.

There remains a stark racial divide in New Jersey with 40% of white students enrolled in AP or IB courses, compared to 22.4% for Hispanic students and 19.2% for Black students, according to the report.

Despite the enrollment disparity, New Jersey ranks second in the country with the highest percentage of schools that offer at least one AP course, the state said.

» READ MORE: AP course offerings vary widely depending on where you live in New Jersey and where you go to school