Attendance
Every Day Matters: Understanding Attendance Requirements & Seat Time
Regular school attendance is one of the simplest, and most important, ways families can help students be successful in school. Being present each day gives students the opportunity to learn, participate, build relationships, and stay connected to their teachers and classmates. Even occasional absences can add up and make it more difficult for students to keep pace academically.
At Holden R-III, we also recognize that students sometimes need to miss school. Illness, medical appointments, family circumstances, and other situations can make absences unavoidable. Our goal is not simply to count days missed, but to work with families to help students stay on track when absences occur.
Our Attendance Expectation
Holden R-III requires students to maintain at least 90% attendance. At the elementary and middle school levels, maintaining this level of attendance is part of our promotion requirements. At the high school level, students must maintain at least 90% attendance in each course to receive credit.
When a student's attendance falls below the required level, the district requires students to make up missed instructional time. Each building provides opportunities for students to recover this time outside of the regular school day, and the specific process varies by grade level.
At Holden Elementary, an after-school Academic Club is available for students who need to recover time. If required instructional make-up time is not completed during the school year, summer school may be required.
At Holden Middle School, seat time is calculated based on missed class periods in core academic areas, and HMS provides opportunities before and after school for students to recover this time. In some circumstances, students who are unable to complete required seat time during the semester may also be required to attend summer school.
At Holden High School, students can miss four class periods or less per course each semester while maintaining the 90% attendance requirement. When attendance falls below that level, the school may develop an attendance plan with the student and family. This would likely include seat time opportunities outside of the regular school day to help students recover missed instructional time and remain on track toward earning course credit and graduating on time.
What Families Can Do
The best way to avoid the need for instructional make-up time is simple: make regular attendance a priority.
We understand that some absences are unavoidable. When your child must miss school, please communicate with the school and provide documentation for medical or other unavoidable absences as soon as possible. This helps our schools maintain accurate attendance records and determine whether an absence should be considered when calculating make-up time.
We also recognize that attendance challenges can have many different causes. When a student begins to struggle with regular attendance, our goal is to communicate with the family, understand what is happening, and identify ways we can support the student.
Our goal is simple: We want every student in school, engaged in learning, and on track for success. Thank you for partnering with us to make regular attendance a priority.