The Persistent Presence Of Absence
26th June 2025
The fact that many children are ditching America’s public schools is undeniable. Most recently, Nat Malkus, Deputy Director of Education Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, reported that while chronic absenteeism spiked during the COVID pandemic, it remains a serious problem.
In 2024, rates were 57% higher than they were before the pandemic. (Students who miss at least 10% of the school year, or roughly 18 days, are considered chronically absent.)
Malkus goes on to explain that in 2018 and 2019, about 15% of K–12 public school students in the U.S. were chronically absent—a number so high that numerous observers and the U.S. Department of Education are labeling it a “crisis.”
A ‘crisis’ is whenever anything goes against the Narrative and appears to be winning.
In total, nearly one in twelve public schools in the United States has experienced a “substantial” enrollment decline over the last five years.
The problem is especially egregious in our big cities. In Los Angeles, more than 32% of students were chronically absent in the 2023-2024 school year.
In Chicago, dwindling enrollment has left about 150 schools half-empty, while 47 operate at less than one-third capacity.
People are waking up to the fact that they are paying for steak and receiving shit sandwiches.