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Digest of Education Statistics: 2012
Digest of Education Statistics: 2012

NCES 2014-015
December 2013


table 187. Table 187. Percentage of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders absent from school in the last month, by selected student and school characteristics and number of days absent: 2002, 2009, and 2011
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year, grade level, and days absent from school in the last month All students Sex Race/ethnicity Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch (public schools only) Control of school
Male Female White Black Hispanic Asian/
Pacific Islander
American Indian/
Alaska Native
Two or more races Eligible Not Eligible Unknown Public Catholic Other private
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
2002                                                            
4th-graders                                                            
None 52 (0.3) 55 (0.4) 50 (0.5) 52 (0.4) 52 (0.7) 50 (0.9) 66 (1.5) 42 (1.5) 55 (1.9) 49 (0.5) 55 (0.4) 53 (1.1) 52 (0.3) 55 (1.2) 55 (1.4)
1-2 days 30 (0.3) 28 (0.3) 32 (0.4) 31 (0.3) 27 (0.5) 31 (0.9) 22 (0.9) 34 (1.8) 29 (1.8) 30 (0.4) 29 (0.4) 30 (0.8) 30 (0.3) 31 (1.0) 28 (1.1)
3-4 days 11 (0.1) 10 (0.2) 12 (0.2) 11 (0.2) 12 (0.4) 11 (0.4) 7 (0.6) 14 (1.1) 10 (1.3) 13 (0.2) 10 (0.2) 11 (0.5) 11 (0.2) 10 (0.6) 12 (0.9)
5-10 days 4 (0.1) 4 (0.2) 4 (0.2) 4 (0.1) 4 (0.2) 4 (0.4) 3 (0.5) 6 (0.7) 5 (1.5) 5 (0.2) 4 (0.2) 4 (0.3) 4 (0.1) 3 (0.3) 4 (0.5)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 4 (0.2) 3 (0.3) 2 (0.5) 4 (0.6) 1 (0.6) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.2) 1 (0.3)
                                                             
8th-graders                                                            
None 45 (0.3) 47 (0.4) 43 (0.4) 44 (0.4) 46 (0.7) 44 (1.1) 62 (1.8) 31 (2.8) 50 (5.2) 41 (0.5) 46 (0.4) 46 (0.9) 44 (0.4) 49 (1.2) 47 (1.1)
1-2 days 35 (0.3) 34 (0.4) 37 (0.4) 37 (0.4) 31 (0.5) 34 (0.9) 26 (1.6) 37 (1.9) 33 (3.2) 34 (0.5) 36 (0.4) 36 (0.8) 35 (0.3) 37 (1.1) 37 (1.1)
3-4 days 13 (0.2) 12 (0.3) 14 (0.2) 13 (0.2) 15 (0.5) 14 (0.6) 7 (0.8) 20 (3.4) 9 (1.7) 15 (0.3) 12 (0.2) 12 (0.5) 13 (0.2) 10 (0.7) 11 (0.9)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.3) 5 (0.3) 3 (0.4) 8 (1.2) 6 (3.5) 6 (0.2) 4 (0.1) 4 (0.3) 5 (0.1) 3 (0.4) 4 (0.4)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 2 (0.3) 1 (0.2) 4 (1.0) 2 (1.1) 3 (0.2) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.2) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.1) 1 (0.3)
                                                             
12th-graders                                                            
None 36 (0.7) 39 (0.9) 32 (0.8) 35 (0.8) 37 (1.4) 34 (1.6) 41 (2.4) (†) 23 (5.5) 35 (1.3) 36 (0.8) 34 (1.4) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
1-2 days 40 (0.6) 38 (0.8) 42 (0.8) 40 (0.8) 36 (1.1) 42 (1.7) 36 (1.8) (†) 51 (10.4) 37 (1.0) 40 (0.8) 42 (1.2) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
3-4 days 17 (0.5) 14 (0.6) 19 (0.6) 17 (0.6) 17 (0.9) 16 (1.3) 15 (2.4) (†) 22 (4.4) 19 (1.0) 16 (0.5) 16 (1.2) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
5-10 days 6 (0.2) 6 (0.3) 6 (0.3) 6 (0.3) 7 (0.8) 5 (0.9) 5 (0.9) (†) 5 (†) 7 (0.7) 6 (0.3) 6 (0.7) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.2) 3 (0.3) 2 (0.2) 2 (0.2) 2 (0.3) 3 (0.6) 3 (0.8) (†) 1 (0.3) 2 (0.4) 2 (0.3) 2 (0.4) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
                                                             
2009                                                            
4th-graders                                                            
None 52 (0.2) 54 (0.3) 51 (0.3) 52 (0.3) 51 (0.4) 52 (0.6) 65 (0.9) 42 (1.4) 53 (1.4) 49 (0.3) 56 (0.3) 53 (1.0) 52 (0.2) 54 (1.5) (†)
1-2 days 29 (0.2) 28 (0.3) 31 (0.2) 31 (0.2) 28 (0.3) 29 (0.4) 24 (0.7) 32 (1.2) 29 (1.3) 30 (0.3) 29 (0.3) 30 (1.0) 30 (0.2) 31 (1.4) (†)
3-4 days 11 (0.1) 11 (0.2) 12 (0.2) 11 (0.2) 12 (0.3) 12 (0.4) 6 (0.4) 15 (1.0) 12 (1.0) 13 (0.2) 10 (0.1) 10 (0.7) 11 (0.1) 10 (0.8) (†)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.3) 3 (0.3) 7 (0.8) 4 (0.6) 5 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 5 (0.5) 4 (0.1) 4 (0.5) (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 4 (0.2) 3 (0.2) 2 (0.3) 4 (0.5) 1 (0.3) 3 (0.1) 1 (0.1) 1 (0.3) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.3) (†)
                                                             
8th-graders                                                            
None 46 (0.3) 48 (0.3) 44 (0.3) 45 (0.3) 45 (0.4) 45 (0.6) 65 (1.2) 33 (1.4) 45 (2.0) 43 (0.4) 48 (0.3) 49 (1.1) 45 (0.3) 54 (1.7) (†)
1-2 days 35 (0.2) 33 (0.3) 36 (0.3) 37 (0.2) 32 (0.4) 33 (0.5) 25 (0.9) 39 (1.5) 32 (1.8) 34 (0.3) 36 (0.3) 35 (1.0) 35 (0.2) 34 (1.3) (†)
3-4 days 13 (0.2) 12 (0.2) 13 (0.2) 12 (0.2) 15 (0.3) 13 (0.4) 7 (0.5) 18 (0.9) 13 (1.4) 15 (0.3) 11 (0.2) 11 (0.7) 13 (0.2) 8 (0.8) (†)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 6 (0.3) 6 (0.3) 2 (0.3) 7 (0.6) 7 (0.9) 6 (0.2) 4 (0.1) 5 (0.7) 5 (0.1) 3 (0.5) (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 1 (0.2) 3 (0.6) 2 (0.7) 3 (0.1) 1 (0.1) 1 (0.2) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.2) (†)
                                                             
12th-graders                                                            
None 38 (0.5) 41 (0.5) 35 (0.6) 36 (0.5) 39 (1.0) 38 (0.8) 50 (1.7) 30 (3.9) 39 (3.2) 36 (0.7) 38 (0.6) 43 (1.2) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
1-2 days 39 (0.3) 37 (0.4) 41 (0.5) 40 (0.4) 38 (0.8) 39 (0.7) 33 (1.6) 36 (4.0) 37 (3.2) 39 (0.6) 40 (0.4) 39 (0.9) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
3-4 days 15 (0.3) 13 (0.3) 17 (0.4) 15 (0.4) 15 (0.5) 15 (0.7) 11 (1.0) 23 (3.2) 16 (2.4) 16 (0.5) 15 (0.4) 12 (0.7) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
5-10 days 6 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 6 (0.2) 6 (0.2) 6 (0.4) 6 (0.3) 4 (0.4) 8 (2.3) 6 (1.5) 7 (0.3) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.4) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 3 (0.2) 1 (0.3) 3 (1.6) 1 (0.5) 2 (0.2) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.4) --- (†) --- (†) --- (†)
                                                             
2011                                                            
4th-graders                                                            
None 51 (0.2) 53 (0.3) 49 (0.3) 50 (0.2) 49 (0.5) 50 (0.5) 64 (1.1) 39 (1.5) 51 (1.1) 47 (0.2) 54 (0.2) 54 (1.1) 50 (0.2) 54 (1.1) (†)
1-2 days 30 (0.1) 29 (0.2) 31 (0.2) 31 (0.2) 28 (0.4) 29 (0.4) 23 (0.6) 31 (1.3) 29 (0.9) 30 (0.2) 30 (0.2) 29 (0.8) 30 (0.1) 29 (0.6) (†)
3-4 days 12 (0.1) 11 (0.2) 13 (0.2) 12 (0.1) 13 (0.3) 13 (0.3) 8 (0.7) 17 (1.1) 14 (0.8) 14 (0.2) 10 (0.2) 11 (0.6) 12 (0.1) 11 (0.6) (†)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.2) 3 (0.3) 8 (0.9) 5 (0.5) 5 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 4 (0.3) 5 (0.1) 4 (0.4) (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 4 (0.2) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 4 (0.4) 2 (0.3) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.3) 3 (0.1) 1 (0.2) (†)
                                                             
8th-graders                                                            
None 45 (0.2) 47 (0.3) 44 (0.3) 45 (0.3) 45 (0.5) 44 (0.6) 62 (1.1) 34 (1.7) 43 (1.5) 42 (0.3) 48 (0.3) 48 (0.9) 45 (0.2) 51 (0.9) (†)
1-2 days 35 (0.2) 34 (0.2) 36 (0.2) 37 (0.3) 32 (0.4) 35 (0.5) 27 (1.0) 35 (1.3) 36 (1.2) 35 (0.3) 36 (0.3) 36 (0.8) 35 (0.2) 36 (0.7) (†)
3-4 days 13 (0.1) 12 (0.2) 14 (0.2) 12 (0.2) 15 (0.4) 14 (0.4) 7 (0.5) 19 (1.5) 12 (0.9) 15 (0.2) 11 (0.2) 11 (0.7) 13 (0.2) 10 (0.5) (†)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.2) 3 (0.3) 8 (0.8) 6 (0.6) 6 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 4 (0.3) 5 (0.1) 3 (0.3) (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 1 (0.2) 4 (0.7) 2 (0.3) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.1) 1 (0.2) 2 (0.1) # (†) (†)
---Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
NOTE: Includes public and private schools unless otherwise noted. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Prior to 2011, students in the "two or more races" category were categorized as "unclassified." Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002, 2009, and 2011 Reading Assessments, retrieved December 9, 2012, from the Main NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/). (This table was prepared December 2012.)