From Empty Desks to Full Classrooms
South Newton’s Journey to High Attendance
South Newton’s Journey to High Attendance
South Newton Elementary School in Newton, North Carolina faced a significant post-COVID absenteeism challenge, with 43% of students missing three or more days in the first quarter of the 2023-24 school year. By partnering with Schools That Lead and using Improvement Science, they reduced absenteeism to 27% in just one year.
decrease in absenteeism (from 43% to 27%) over the school year.
Improved Family Communication
Enhanced parent engagement through empathetic and informative attendance letters.
Community Impact
Fostered a culture of collaboration between teachers, families, and students to prioritize attendance.
At South Newton, student absenteeism had reached critical levels post-COVID. Confusion surrounding attendance expectations, coupled with lingering pandemic habits, led to nearly half of their students missing three or more days in the first quarter of the school year. This absenteeism severely impacted students’ ability to keep up academically. Teachers and administrators recognized that without addressing this issue, students would continue to fall behind. Determined to make a change, South Newton formed a small team, including the principal, counselor, and key teachers, to tackle the issue head-on.
THE GOAL
To significantly reduce student absenteeism and improve daily attendance at South Newton Elementary School.
THE SOLUTION
Schools That Lead introduced South Newton Elementary to the improvement science methodology, emphasizing small, data-driven changes with measurable outcomes. This method allowed the team to experiment, analyze results, and scale up successful strategies. The first major change was reframing their attendance letter. Instead of issuing letters filled with policy warnings and consequences, they created letters emphasizing the connection between attendance and academic success. Inspired by behavioral science principles, the letters personalized the message, comparing individual student attendance to their peers and empowering parents to make a positive difference. The letter included:
A direct and empathetic tone: “Todd has missed more school than his classmates. Students fall behind when they miss school…”
A visual graph comparing Todd’s absences to the class average.
The letters were available in English and Spanish to ensure accessibility. For chronically absent students, teachers followed up with caring messages to families, emphasizing that their child’s presence was missed and valued. These communications avoided harsh demands and instead fostered a collaborative relationship between families and the school. One teacher even involved students by having them write emails to their parents explaining the link between attendance and learning outcomes. By starting small and collecting data on each intervention, the team could measure what worked and adapt their strategies when needed.
Through consistent efforts, South Newton Elementary achieved a significant reduction in absenteeism and strengthened their school community.
Absenteeism Reduction: Absenteeism dropped from 43% to 27%.
Improved Family Communication: Families became more engaged and informed about the importance of attendance.
Community Impact: Teachers, parents, and students collaborated to create a culture of daily attendance and academic success.
South Newton’s story highlights how small, thoughtful changes can drive transformative results. With Schools That Lead’s support, they have shown that innovative solutions and community collaboration can pave the way for student success.
