Jenna Ebbers – Oct 28, 2025 – Lincoln Journal Star

In order for students to get what they need from school, to learn and grow as a student, they have to actually be present in the classroom.

But in recent years, school districts across the country have been fighting an uphill battle with chronic absenteeism — defined as when a student misses 10% or more of instructional time.

The Nebraska Department of Education released data on county and districtwide chronic absenteeism rates throughout the state last week. Included in the date is which Lincoln schools are seeing the highest numbers.

Here’s a breakdown:

* There are 40,365 students across the 60 elementary, middle and high schools at LPS. The numbers show 10,510 students missing high rates of class time — that’s about one of every four sudents being chronically absent. 

* Compared to the 2021-22 school year, LPS’ chronic absenteeism rate has worsened, jumping from 23% four years ago to 26% last school year.

* Chronic absenteeism rates in Nebraska’s second largest school district tend to be higher for older students in middle and high school.

* Kloefkorn and Wysong elementaries reported the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the district with 5.8% each, meaning 27 of the 668 Kloefkorn students and 43 of 738 Wysong students were chronically absent.

* Morley (7%), Cavett (7%), Maxey (7.4%) and Pyrtle (7.5%) elementaries also had some of the lowest rates in LPS.

* Lincoln Northeast High School had the highest rate of students chronically missing class. More than 50% of Northeast Rockets missed high rates of school — 932 of 1,819.

* Lincoln High School (48%), Dawes Middle School (46%), North Star High School (44%) and Lincoln Northwest High School (42%) had some of the highest chronic absenteeism rates behind Northeast.