Attendance Expectations

  • A goal of Berkeley County Schools’ Department of Attendance is to ensure every student attends school every day. School attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in kindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day and understand why attendance is important for success in school and in life.

    We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically.

    We hope that you find this information helpful. Like you, we want your child to be successful in school! Should you have questions or want details regarding your student’s attendance record, please contact your child’s school.

Attendance Expectations

    • The student will arrive to school on time.
    • The student will attend school every day.
    • The student will participate and make academic progress.
    • Talk about the importance of school attendance every day. Be sure your child knows you do not approve of them missing school.
    • Communicate with the school often to monitor attendance, academic progress, and address concerns.
attendance takes GRIT - Greatness Requires Internal Toughness.

Did You Know?

    • Starting in Kindergarten, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school.
    • Missing 10% (or about 18 days per school year) can make it harder to learn to read. Gaps in your student’s education will occur.
    • Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day, or two days, every few weeks.
    • Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.
    • Absences can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up. They may miss out on building strong peer relationships and start to feel left behind.
    • Missing too many days can put a student at risk of dropping out.
    • Scheduling a vacation during the school year causes students to miss important information that can affect their education.