Here's what the numbers say about correlation between CPS student attendance, achievement
Student attendance and absenteeism varies from building to building in Columbia Public Schools and where attendance is high, student achievement also is high.
The opposite also is true.
Eight elementary schools in CPS met or exceeded the state standard of 90% of students in class 90% of the time. No middle schools or high schools met that measure.
The elementary schools are: Ridgeway, 94.4% attendance; Mill Creek, 92.6%; Midway Heights, 92.5%; Russell Boulevard, 92.1%; Fairview, 91.7% Paxton Keeley, 91.1%; Beulah Ralph, 91%; and Two Mile Prairie, 90.1%.
Attendance and performance, as measured by the state's annual performance report, roughly correspond, but not precisely. The annual performance report scores are from the 2022-23 school year, while the attendance numbers are from the current school year, 2023-24.
First of all, attendance contributes points to a school's APR score, but there's more, said Dave Wilson, CPS data specialist.
"You have to be present to learn," Wilson said.
The biggest contributor to student achievement is past achievement, he said.
"I would say there's a really strong correlation" between achievement and attendance, Wilson said.
Part of it may be that lower achievement may be that lower achievement causes lower attendance, or vice-versa, he said.
Two Mile Prairie, with 90.1% attendance, had the district's highest APR score, 87.9%.
Her school's small size and rural location benefit it, said Two Mile Principal Amanda Ruyle in an email.
"Two Mile Prairie is unique in its size and location.," Ruyle said. "It is very important to me to celebrate the uniqueness of being a small school that feels like a family. We say we are 'One Heart. One Home. One Two Mile.' I am passionate about knowing every student and every parent/guardian. These relationships help students and families feel connected to our school which increases the likelihood of attending school regularly."
Establishing relationships is something you will read more about later.
Learning isn't restricted to the building, Ruyle said.
"We also embrace being a place-based Ag school," Ruyle said. "The learning we do outside the four walls of our classrooms makes learning fun, relevant, authentic, and engaging. I am a firm believer that this type of learning excites students and makes them want to come to school. Some examples are frequent field trips, Ag Week, fishing at our pond, learning in our school garden, planting crops in our field, and involving local experts and community members."
Not everything at Two Mile Prairie can work at every district school, but Ruyle said principals are good at finding things that work at their schools.
"The CPS elementary principal group is great about sharing strategies and ideas to boost student achievement and increase our attendance percentages," Ruyle said. "I enjoy collaborating with my colleagues about how we can best meet the needs of our students and families. No matter the building, we are all diligently working to always grow together so CPS can be celebrated as a district and not just our individual schools."
Ridgeway Elementary School has the district's best attendance rate at 94.4% and its 2023-24 APR score was 82.3%.
The school is close to downtown, but benefits from being a lottery school, said Principal Taryn Brinlee. It has no attendance area, but pulls students from around the district.
Most students are at the school from kindergarten through fifth grade, Brinlee said.
"We don't lose but one or two kids every year," Brinlee said.
Most adults in the school know all the students and parents know the teachers and office staff, she said.
"The relationships are really strong and I think that plays a huge part in attendance," Brinlee said.
When a family is going through a hardship, they are more open to sharing about it with school staff and asking for help, she said.
"I think that's the relationship piece again," Brinlee said.
What does Ridgeway do to keep attendance high?
"My personal philosophy on attendance is it's an adult issue," Brinlee said of elementary schools. "I believe the students have such little control on that."
She talks with teachers about creating a safe, calm environment for students in their classrooms, she said.
The school tracks attendance and takes action, including sending messages home, when students hit thresholds that the school has set.
The school examines data that may reveal "a little thing that's not glaringly obvious," Brinlee said.
An example is students who are late by 30 minutes, but it's during reading, she said.
"It's a really important thing when it comes to student achievement," Brinlee said of reading.
Any school has the capability of setting aside an hour to do a deep dive into attendance, she said.
"Really being consistent is the key," Brinlee said.
The student achievement in the school has improved as attendance has, she said.
"We have to have kids here to educate them," Brinlee said.
Mill Creek Elementary School, with the second highest attendance rate at 92.6%, also had the second-highest APR, 86.7%
"We have student data binders where we track attendance," said Mill Creek Principal Tabetha Rawlings.
At monthly assemblies, each grade level with 90% attendance or higher gets a rousing cheer, she said.
"We communicate with parents a lot," Rawlings said.
When COVID hit, schools encouraged parents to keep their children home if there was any sign of illness, she said.
Some still do, but it's no longer needed or wanted, she said.
"Some families don't prioritize attendance, for various reasons," Rawling said.
She also mentioned the necessity of students being in school for education to occur. It's apparent why attendance would correspond with student achievement, she said.
"We have to get kids to get their adults motivated," she said.
She said the principals share among one another to try to find solutions.
"We're very collaborative on our administrative team," Rawlings said.
John Warner Middle School, which had 86% attendance, the highest among middle schools, also had the highest APR among middle schools, at 82.7%.
Battle Elementary School had the lowest attendance rate and the lowest APR score among elementaries and Lange had the lowest of both among middle schools.
Among high schools, Rock Bridge had the highest attendance rate at 82.7% and the highest APR at 78.6%
Here are attendance rates at all CPS schools:
Elementary
Ridgeway 94.4
Mill Creek 92.6
Midway Heights 92.5
Russell Blvd 92.1
Fairview 91.7
Paxton Keeley 91.1
Beulah Ralph 91
Two Mile Prairie 90.1
Rock Bridge 87.6
Cedar Ridge 87.2
Grant 87.1
Locust 85.7
Parkade 84.9
Derby Ridge 81.7
Alpha Hart Lewis 81.2
Benton 81.1
Shepard Blvd 80.9
New Haven 77.5
West Blvd 75.1
Battle 73.6
Middle Schools
John Warner 86
Smithton 85
Gentry 80.8
Jefferson 78
West 72.2
Oakland 71.9
Lange 64.2
High Schools
Rock Bridge 82.7
Hickman 80.8
Battle 65.7
Douglass 48
Roger McKinney is the Tribune's education reporter. You can reach him at rmckinney@columbiatribune.com or 573-*15-1719. He's on X at @rmckinney9.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Data show Columbia's student attendance, achievement connected
