Multiple dimensions of school climate were associated with lower school absences, with stronger relationships after the pandemic than before¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (3 entries) · associational r2–r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2026 · checked against its sources 2026-10-20 (automated, 3 of 3 entries) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q3 i? Student reports of feeling safe showed some of the strongest relationships with absences, especially in high schools: adjusted absence rates were about 4 percentage points lower in schools with strong versus weak safety after the pandemic, versus about 1 point before. → Allensworth 2026 q3 i? Student reports of school connectedness were strongly related to absences post-pandemic for high school students, though not significantly related before the pandemic. → Allensworth 2026 (2) q3 i? Teachers' reports of relationships with parents were significantly related to absence rates in both middle and high schools, more strongly post-pandemic; before the pandemic, the teacher-parent trust measure's relationship with middle-grades attendance was very close to zero. → Allensworth 2026 (3)

Evidence¶

Allensworth 2026¶

Allensworth, E.M., Antony, M., Delgado, W., & de la Torre, M. (2026). Connection, trust, and learning: Student attendance in the middle and high school grades following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/connection-trust-and-learning

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Cross-nested HLMs adding school-average 5Essentials survey measures (student response rates 71-82%, teacher 72-81%), controlling student background, prior attendance and achievement. Bars represent a 1.35 standard deviation difference (25th vs. 75th percentile).

"In high schools, adjusted absence rates were about 4 percentage points lower in schools with strong versus weak safety after the pandemic, compared to a difference of about 1 percentage point before the pandemic."

Allensworth 2026 (2)¶

Allensworth, E.M., Antony, M., Delgado, W., & de la Torre, M. (2026). Connection, trust, and learning: Student attendance in the middle and high school grades following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/connection-trust-and-learning

q2 · i? · associational · r2

Same HLM models with 5Essentials measures; related survey measures include student peer relationships, school connectedness, peer support for academic work, academic personalism, and student-teacher trust.

"Students’ reports of connectedness to school were particularly strongly related to absences in post-pandemic years for high school students, although it was not significantly related to absences before the pandemic."

Allensworth 2026 (3)¶

Allensworth, E.M., Antony, M., Delgado, W., & de la Torre, M. (2026). Connection, trust, and learning: Student attendance in the middle and high school grades following the COVID-19 pandemic. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. https://consortium.uchicago.edu/publications/connection-trust-and-learning

q2 · i? · associational · r3

Same models; related measures are teacher-parent trust, parent involvement in school, and parent influence on decision making. The brief notes no bar for teacher-parent trust in middle grades pre-pandemic because the relationship was very close to zero.

"Teachers’ reports of their relationships with parents were also significantly related to absence rates in their school in both middle grades and high schools."

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Safety — predictor: learners who differ on it differ in outcomes

Related Claims¶

• A more positive school climate is related to improved academic achievement beyond socioeconomic status — the general claim this finding bears on, with the studies behind it
• Absences remained as strongly related to test scores and GPAs in post-pandemic years as pre-pandemic years — related
• Schools serving similar students from similar neighborhoods had substantially different absence rates, with over half of school variation unexplained by student backgrounds or prior absences — related
• Teachers are more likely to stay in schools where parents support their work and where students feel safe and peers behave appropriately — related
• More students were very chronically absent (missing 20% or more of days) and fewer students had strong attendance (under 5%) after the pandemic — related
• Students' perceptions of their classes and schools matter more for attendance in post-pandemic years than before the pandemic — a broader claim this one bears on
• Yearly high school attendance grew up to 3.55 percentage points more in schools with strong 5Essentials Survey measures than in schools with average scores — related
• Students at higher-performing non-selective Chicago high schools report better school experiences, including safety, relationships, attendance, and fewer suspensions — related
• School climate functions as a setting-level indicator: students entering schools where they feel safe and supported attend more and earn higher grades, and Chicago's five essential supports survey responses are highly predictive of teacher and school performance — related
• Family engagement is connected to stronger social-emotional development, higher attendance, and better academic outcomes — related
• Large majorities of Gateway students report feeling cared for, part of the school, safe, and connected — related
• Bronxdale's 2017–18 school climate survey positive-response rates exceeded city high school averages on all surveyed indicators — related
• In very safe neighborhoods, curiosity does not differ between lower-resourced and higher-resourced children, while a gap appears in fairly safe neighborhoods — related
• After accounting for incoming academic achievement, neighborhood crime and poverty show effectively no relationship with school safety — related