Tucson Unified School District had a chronic absenteeism rate of 44% in the 2024-2025 school year, according to Arizona Department of Education data — the largest in Pima county.
The Arizona Department of Education defines chronic absence as a student missing 10% or more of the school year, excused or unexcused, while enrolled at a given school. In a typical 180-day school year, this equates to missing 18 or more days of school.
TUSD saw its absenteeism rate decline by 17% over the two years after the 2021-22 school year, which showed 51% of students being chronically absent, before it jumped 10% again in 2024-2025.
“Sixty-two percent of (our) absences were excused by parents,” TUSD Superintendent Gabriel Trujillo said on the most recent year's data. “I think the tendency is to look at a district with high rates of chronic absenteeism and really point the finger at the system … ‘What's happening in X school district? Why aren't they doing a better job of getting kids into school?’ when really it's a combination of both."
People are also reading…
Trujillo said the most common reasons the district sees for excused absences include personal trips, family emergencies, illnesses and medical appointments.
“Now, with that being said we still have a 38% unexcused absenteeism rate within this overall 44%,” Trujillo said. “That is absolutely unacceptable and we really do need to dial down and really work towards getting both sets of students back into school on a regular, full-time basis.”
A few new initiatives the district is launching this school year aim to do that. TUSD will pilot a case management system with 37 assigned student liaisons, launch a messaging campaign on "attendance awareness" and make changes to next school year's calendar, which is currently being surveyed.
