Loudoun County^↗ET reported 4,094 students who were chronically absent in 2020-21, a published rate of 5.1% that placed it below the statewide rate.

Two years later, that number was 15,284. The published rate had reached 18.8%, close to the statewide 19.3% rate.

A rapid count increase

In 2019-20, Loudoun had 8,012 students who were chronically absent at a 9.6% rate. The count fell to 4,094 in 2020-21, then rose to 10,678 in 2021-22 and 15,284 in 2022-23.

That final jump — a 5.6-percentage-point year-over-year increase — came as the statewide rate fell from 20.1% to 19.3%.

Catching the average from below

In 2019-20, Loudoun's published rate was 2.2 points below the state average. By 2022-23, the gap was 0.5 points.

The published data documents the change in the rates and counts; it does not identify a cause for the increase.

Chronic-absenteeism rates and counts come from the Virginia Department of Education's chronic absenteeism reports.

Where Loudoun stands among peers

Among the six large divisions in this comparison, Loudoun's 18.8% rate is third highest, behind Chesterfield County at 20.8% and Prince William County at 20.0%.

Fairfax County^↗ET is at 17.1%, Virginia Beach City is at 17.4%, and Henrico County is at 16.3%.

Loudoun's 18.8% rate shows that chronic absenteeism is not limited to the divisions with the highest rate in this six-division comparison.

Inside the schools

Park View High School leads Loudoun: 37.9% of its students were chronically absent, with 548 students missing significant time. Nine Loudoun schools exceed 25% — a threshold no Loudoun school approached in 2019-20. Sully Elementary is at 31.3%. Tuscarora High at 29.4%.

The listed schools span high schools and elementary schools; the published data records the rates but does not classify the schools by program or household income.

What the file shows

The 2022-23 file records 15,284 students who were chronically absent in Loudoun County. The published data does not support an explanation for the change beyond the published count and rate series.

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