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Percentage distribution of public school teacher perceptions about the extent to which teacher absenteeism and student absenteeism are problems in the school, by selected school and teacher characteristics: 2020–21
| Teacher absenteeism | Student absenteeism | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| School type and selected school and teacher characteristics | Not a problem | Minor problem | Moderate problem | Serious problem | Moderate or serious problem | Not a problem | Minor problem | Moderate problem | Serious problem | Moderate or serious problem | ||||||||||
| All public school teachers | 54.3 | 34.2 | 9.6 | 1.9 | 11.5 | 11.9 | 39.3 | 31.6 | 17.2 | 48.8 | ||||||||||
| School classification | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Traditional public | 54.0 | 34.4 | 9.7 | 1.9 | 11.6 | 11.9 | 39.3 | 31.8 | 17.0 | 48.8 | ||||||||||
| Charter school | 59.3 | 30.7 | 8.4 | 1.7 | 10.1 | 12.1 | 38.8 | 29.2 | 19.9 | 49.1 | ||||||||||
| Community type | ||||||||||||||||||||
| City | 51.8 | 35.3 | 10.5 | 2.3 | 12.8 | 8.7 | 35.4 | 32.2 | 23.8 | 56.0 | ||||||||||
| Suburban | 55.4 | 33.3 | 9.6 | 1.7 | 11.3 | 15.1 | 41.1 | 29.3 | 14.5 | 43.9 | ||||||||||
| Town | 54.9 | 34.2 | 9.4 | 1.5 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 36.9 | 37.0 | 16.7 | 53.7 | ||||||||||
| Rural | 55.4 | 34.3 | 8.4 | 1.9 | 10.3 | 11.7 | 42.5 | 31.9 | 13.9 | 45.8 | ||||||||||
| School level, based on CCD definition1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Elementary | 60.4 | 30.6 | 7.6 | 1.4 | 9.0 | 16.1 | 44.2 | 28.1 | 11.6 | 39.7 | ||||||||||
| Middle | 48.9 | 37.4 | 11.1 | 2.6 | 13.8 | 9.4 | 39.3 | 33.6 | 17.7 | 51.3 | ||||||||||
| Secondary/high | 46.7 | 38.8 | 12.1 | 2.4 | 14.5 | 6.6 | 31.7 | 36.0 | 25.6 | 61.6 | ||||||||||
| Combined/other | 60.0 | 30.6 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 9.4 | 12.3 | 37.5 | 31.1 | 19.1 | 50.2 | ||||||||||
| School level, based on low and high grades2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary | 60.5 | 30.5 | 7.7 | 1.4 | 9.0 | 16.1 | 44.2 | 28.1 | 11.6 | 39.7 | ||||||||||
| Middle | 48.8 | 37.5 | 11.1 | 2.7 | 13.8 | 9.2 | 39.2 | 33.7 | 17.9 | 51.6 | ||||||||||
| High | 46.3 | 39.2 | 12.1 | 2.4 | 14.5 | 6.3 | 31.5 | 36.1 | 26.0 | 62.2 | ||||||||||
| Combined | 57.7 | 31.6 | 9.0 | 1.7 | 10.7 | 11.1 | 36.4 | 33.0 | 19.5 | 52.5 | ||||||||||
| Student enrollment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Less than 100 | 67.7 | 23.9 | 7.1 | 1.3 | ! | 8.4 | 14.1 | 31.8 | 30.2 | 23.9 | 54.0 | |||||||||
| 100–199 | 65.9 | 26.5 | 6.4 | 1.1 | 7.6 | 13.5 | 41.4 | 28.3 | 16.8 | 45.1 | ||||||||||
| 200–499 | 60.0 | 31.5 | 7.3 | 1.2 | 8.5 | 13.9 | 40.8 | 30.8 | 14.6 | 45.4 | ||||||||||
| 500–749 | 56.2 | 33.2 | 8.9 | 1.7 | 10.7 | 13.0 | 42.3 | 30.2 | 14.5 | 44.7 | ||||||||||
| 750–999 | 50.5 | 36.1 | 11.1 | 2.2 | 13.3 | 12.3 | 39.4 | 31.4 | 16.9 | 48.3 | ||||||||||
| 1,000 or more | 43.3 | 40.3 | 13.3 | 3.1 | 16.4 | 7.2 | 34.6 | 35.1 | 23.2 | 58.3 | ||||||||||
|
Percent of K–12 students who were approved for free or reduced-price lunches3 |
||||||||||||||||||||
| 0–34 | 62.5 | 29.9 | 6.6 | 1.0 | 7.6 | 21.0 | 47.7 | 23.2 | 8.1 | 31.3 | ||||||||||
| 35–49 | 54.6 | 35.5 | 8.4 | 1.5 | 9.9 | 10.2 | 43.4 | 33.5 | 12.9 | 46.4 | ||||||||||
| 50–74 | 49.9 | 36.9 | 11.0 | 2.3 | 13.3 | 8.0 | 35.6 | 36.1 | 20.3 | 56.4 | ||||||||||
| 75 or more | 49.5 | 35.8 | 12.0 | 2.7 | 14.7 | 6.7 | 32.0 | 35.7 | 25.6 | 61.3 | ||||||||||
| Reported effect of COVID–19 on instruction4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Only teaching with distance-learning instruction | 60.1 | 31.2 | 7.4 | 1.3 | 8.7 | 10.0 | 38.9 | 32.6 | 18.5 | 51.1 | ||||||||||
|
Teaching with a hybrid of in-person and distance-learning instruction |
50.9 | 36.1 | 10.8 | 2.2 | 13.0 | 11.0 | 38.1 | 32.3 | 18.6 | 50.9 | ||||||||||
|
Teaching only in-person or no effect on delivery of instruction |
57.9 | 32.1 | 8.4 | 1.7 | 10.0 | 15.6 | 42.6 | 29.0 | 12.9 | 41.9 | ||||||||||
| Main teaching assignment | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Early childhood or general elementary | 61.6 | 29.6 | 7.4 | 1.4 | 8.8 | 16.1 | 43.1 | 28.4 | 12.4 | 40.8 | ||||||||||
| Special education | 52.2 | 34.9 | 10.7 | 2.2 | 12.9 | 12.8 | 40.0 | 31.9 | 15.4 | 47.2 | ||||||||||
| Arts and music | 52.9 | 35.3 | 10.0 | 1.8 | 11.8 | 11.4 | 40.7 | 30.9 | 17.0 | 47.9 | ||||||||||
| English and language arts | 49.9 | 35.7 | 12.0 | 2.3 | 14.4 | 7.4 | 35.0 | 34.5 | 23.1 | 57.6 | ||||||||||
|
English as a Second Language (ESL) or bilingual education |
50.6 | 35.8 | 9.9 | 3.8 | 13.6 | 8.1 | 38.3 | 33.4 | 20.2 | 53.6 | ||||||||||
| Foreign languages | 50.6 | 38.1 | 8.5 | 2.8 | 11.3 | 11.5 | 37.6 | 32.4 | 18.5 | 50.8 | ||||||||||
| Health education | 50.9 | 37.8 | 9.2 | 2.1 | 11.3 | 14.6 | 43.5 | 29.0 | 12.9 | 41.9 | ||||||||||
| Mathematics and Computer Science | 50.0 | 37.9 | 10.2 | 2.0 | 12.1 | 7.7 | 35.7 | 34.1 | 22.5 | 56.6 | ||||||||||
| Natural sciences | 50.9 | 36.6 | 10.0 | 2.5 | 12.5 | 7.9 | 34.9 | 35.0 | 22.2 | 57.2 | ||||||||||
| Social sciences | 48.4 | 37.0 | 12.8 | 1.7 | 14.5 | 6.7 | 34.1 | 33.1 | 26.0 | 59.1 | ||||||||||
| Career or technical education | 47.4 | 40.1 | 10.8 | 1.7 | 12.5 | 7.6 | 33.7 | 39.0 | 19.6 | 58.7 | ||||||||||
| All other | 44.0 | 43.9 | 9.4 | 2.7 | ! | 12.1 | 10.1 | 37.3 | 35.2 | 17.4 | 52.6 | |||||||||
! Interpret data with caution. The coefficient of variation (CV) for this estimate is between 30 percent and 50 percent (i.e., the standard error is at least 30 percent and less than 50 percent of the estimate).
1School level based on the definitions set by Common Core of Data (CCD). Elementary schools offer at least one grade of K through 4, and the number of elementary grades is at least as high as the number of middle grades. Middle schools offer at least one of grades 5 through 8, and the number of middle grades is greater than the number of elementary or secondary grades. Secondary/high schools are defined as schools that offer at least as many of grades 9 through 12 as lower grades. Combined/other schools include all other combinations of grades, including K–12 schools. These categories differ from past NTPS collections, so caution should be exercised when comparing estimates by level over time.
2School level based on low and high grades offered by the school. Primary schools offer at least one grade lower than 5 and no grade higher than 8. Middle schools offer no grade lower than 5 and no grade higher than 8. High schools offer no grade lower than 7 and at least one grade higher than 8. Combined schools offer at least one grade lower than 7 and at least one grade higher than 8. Schools with only ungraded classes were included with combined schools. These categories are provided because they are comparable to those used in previous NTPS publications.
3Schools that don’t participate in the free or reduced-price lunch program are included with the "0–34" percent category.
4Teachers were asked to report the current effect of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on their teaching at the school at the time they completed the survey. Thus, this was the reported effect on instruction at the time the survey was completed, not a summary of the school year.
NOTE: Data are weighted estimates of the population. Detail may not sum to total due to rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), "Public School Teacher Data File," 2020–21.
