Digest of Education Statistics
2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 227.50. Percentage of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-graders absent from school in the last month, by selected characteristics and number of days absent: 2002, 2009, and 2013
[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) (†) (†) (†)
                                                             
2013                                                            
4th-graders                                                            
None 51 (0.2) 53 (0.3) 48 (0.3) 50 (0.3) 50 (0.5) 50 (0.5) 65 (0.8) 40 (1.5) 49 (1.1) 47 (0.3) 54 (0.3) 55 (1.5) 50 (0.2) 54 (1.5) (†)
1-2 days 30 (0.2) 29 (0.3) 31 (0.2) 32 (0.3) 29 (0.4) 29 (0.4) 21 (0.8) 32 (1.6) 30 (1.0) 30 (0.2) 30 (0.3) 28 (1.1) 30 (0.2) 30 (1.3) (†)
3-4 days 12 (0.1) 11 (0.2) 13 (0.2) 12 (0.2) 13 (0.3) 13 (0.3) 8 (0.5) 16 (0.8) 13 (0.7) 14 (0.2) 11 (0.2) 10 (1.0) 12 (0.1) 10 (0.7) (†)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.2) 4 (0.3) 8 (0.7) 5 (0.5) 6 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.6) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.6) (†)
More than 10 days 2 (0.1) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 3 (0.2) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.2) 4 (0.6) 3 (0.3) 3 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.3) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.2) (†)
                                                             
8th-graders                                                            
None 44 (0.2) 47 (0.3) 42 (0.3) 43 (0.3) 46 (0.5) 44 (0.6) 63 (1.0) 36 (1.5) 42 (1.2) 41 (0.3) 46 (0.3) 51 (1.2) 44 (0.2) 50 (1.5) (†)
1-2 days 36 (0.2) 35 (0.3) 38 (0.3) 39 (0.2) 33 (0.5) 36 (0.5) 27 (0.9) 37 (1.7) 36 (1.0) 36 (0.3) 37 (0.3) 34 (1.0) 37 (0.2) 37 (1.2) (†)
3-4 days 13 (0.1) 12 (0.2) 14 (0.2) 13 (0.2) 14 (0.3) 13 (0.4) 7 (0.5) 18 (1.2) 15 (0.8) 15 (0.2) 11 (0.2) 10 (0.8) 13 (0.1) 9 (0.8) (†)
5-10 days 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.1) 5 (0.2) 5 (0.2) 2 (0.3) 6 (0.5) 6 (0.6) 6 (0.1) 4 (0.1) 4 (0.4) 5 (0.1) 3 (0.4) (†)
More than 10 days 1 (#) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.1) 1 (#) 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 1 (0.2) 3 (0.4) 2 (0.3) 2 (0.1) 1 (#) 1 (0.3) 1 (#) 1 (0.2) (†)
—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. Grade 12 results for the 2013 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) Reading Assessment were not yet available at the time this table was created.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2002, 2009, 2011, and 2013 Reading Assessments, retrieved December 19, 2013, from the Main NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/). (This table was prepared December 2013.)

2013 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest