In recent years, American schools have experienced a rising problem of kids missing too much school.
And, according to a new report by the U.S. Department of Education, rates of chronic absenteeism are highest in rural areas.
As The Topeka Capital-Journal reports, one in seven students were chronically absent during the 2013-14 school year, the last year for which data is available. To be chronically absent means to miss 15 or more days in a school year. The study found that absenteeism is highest in areas “struggling with poverty and racial segregation.”
The study continued that absent kids are often found in areas “farther removed from the cities, in the countryside and in towns.” Some of the reasons for the absences include illness, a need to care for younger siblings during the day, or a lack of stable housing.