March 27, 2025
Many of Prince George County Public Schools' campuses have seen a marked decrease in chronic absenteeism year-over-year as robust family engagement and collaboration between schools and their community results in positive attendance outcomes for Prince George County students across the district.
According to attendance data collected between August 19, 2024, and March 18, 2025, seven of the district's eight campuses saw decreases in student chronic absenteeism compared to the same time frame during the 2023-24 School Year. Chronic absenteeism denotes a student who has missed ten percent or more of the enrolled school days. With 177 school days scheduled for students during PGCPS' 2024-25 School Year, any student who misses more than 17.7 school days is considered chronically absent, regardless of the reasons for absence.
The 2024-25 school year attendance data, as of March 18, 2025, shows an average reduction in chronic absenteeism of approximately 4.2 percent over the previous year, with several campuses exceeding that average.
North Elementary School had the highest percentage decrease in chronic absenteeism when compared to the last school year, falling from 22.9 percent to 14.7 percent, a change of over eight percent. David A. Harrison Elementary School also saw significant improvement, reducing their chronic absenteeism metric from 20.8 percent during the 2023-24 School Year to 14 percent during the current academic year.
L.L. Beazley Elementary (19.5 percent to 13.8 percent) and Middle Road Elementary (17.4 percent to 12.4 percent) also had similar reductions in chronic absenteeism of approximately five percent when compared to last year, while South Elementary School saw a decrease of nearly four percent, from 15.8 percent to 12.1 percent.
PGCPS secondary campuses, comprising 6th through 12th grade students, also saw improvements in chronic absenteeism over the previous school year. The data shows positive trends at J.E.J. Moore Middle School, whose chronic absenteeism rate dropped by 1.8 percent from 20.9 percent to 19.1 percent as of March 18, 2025, and Prince George High School, with a reduction of 2.8 percent, from 21.5 percent to 18.7 percent at this point of the school year. N.B. Clements Junior High School held steady, with the school’s chronic absenteeism rate rising 0.1 percent, from 16.4 to 16.5 percent as of mid-March.
Throughout the 2024-25 School Year, as part of PGCPS' "Be Here PG!" attendance awareness campaign, schools have been leaders in stressing the importance of consistent school attendance and providing support when students face attendance challenges through focused, positive conversations with families. They have also spearheaded unique celebrations for students in honor of positive attendance habits, including awards, special events, and more to encourage students to be at school regularly to learn and connect with their classmates.
This commitment from school-level teams, comprising teachers, administrators, counselors, front office, and attendance staff, has been essential in encouraging healthy attendance habits among their school community. In recognition of the school staff's dedication to fostering good school attendance habits, PGCPS has recognized several "Attendance All-Star" staff members throughout the school year with awards. Some recent honorees include:
Mrs. Tammarra Lewis, Counselor, Middle Road Elementary: Mrs. Lewis has served many roles in supporting the school's attendance initiatives throughout the 2024-25 School Year. She runs their monthly attendance team meetings, contacts parents, prints letters and provides resources to students and families. Mrs. Lewis commits to building supportive, positive rapport with families, which results in positive outcomes regarding attendance conversations.
N.B. Clements Junior High School Attendance Personnel (Ms. Kristin Anderson, Dr. Steven Bhatt, Mrs. Noelle Cash, Mrs. Lyndsay Kimbro, Mrs. Jennifer Johnson, Mr. Tyrone Graves, Ms. Joy Wettstein, Mrs. Martha King, Mrs. Karyn Jackson, Mr. Matt Weston): Since the start of the 2024-25 School Year, N.B. Clements Junior High School has been consistent with their attendance program, hosting conferences, establishing procedures for their building, and working together as a collaborative unit. Comprising a building-wise team of front-office personnel, counselors, administrators, and instructional staff, their attendance personnel have been at the forefront of meeting students and families where they are regarding attendance. Through their dedication, the school's attendance staff maintain a positive attitude, offering grace and understanding to students and families as they provide attendance support.
Ms. Britney Sammler, Connection Coach, J.E.J. Moore Middle School: Ms. Sammler has taken on attendance as an additional role and has excelled in being a resource to her school and community. She completes documentation and notification forms and follows up with students and families on attendance matters. Aside from the attendance procedures, she builds relationships with students around the building and participates in other activities for student engagement.
Families can learn more about the importance of school attendance by visiting the district's "Be Here PG!" website at http://www.pgs.k12.va.us/beherepg. Families will also find a helpful, frequently asked questions page on the district's website with various common attendance-related questions and answers.