Michigan students are facing challenges rebounding from the COVID pandemic , and those hurdles are more pronounced among certain groups of vulnerable children who are missing more school than their peers.
Students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students were chronically absent at a rate notably higher than the statewide average.
For the 2023-24 school year, 29.5% of students were chronically absent — meaning they missed at least 10% of school days — according to data from the Michigan Department of Education. In comparison, the rate was 37.6% for students with disabilities, and it was 40.1% for economically disadvantaged students, more than double the rate for students who are not economically disadvantaged…