chronic-absenteeism
The One Subgroup That Beat Pre-COVID Attendance
Delaware's students with disabilities are the only major demographic where chronic absenteeism fell below pre-COVID levels, dropping from 24.1% to 23.6%.
Delaware
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Delaware, grounded in Delaware Department of Education data.
Same Sector, 54 Points Apart
Delaware's charter schools post both the lowest and highest chronic absenteeism in the state. Which number you use determines what story you tell.
Seaford's Graduation Rate Has Fallen 5.8 Points. No Other Delaware District Dropped.
Seaford School District's graduation rate dropped 5.8 points since 2015, the steepest decline in Delaware. A 13-point gender gap and deep racial disparities compound the problem.
English Learners Lost Their Attendance Advantage
Before COVID, Delaware's English learners were less likely to be chronically absent than average. That flipped in 2021 and has not reversed.
Left Behind: The Two Groups Delaware's Rising Graduation Rate Missed
Students in foster care and students who are currently homeless are the only subgroups in Delaware whose graduation rates fell over nine years, even as the state hit an all-time high of 88.9%.
More Coverage
achievement-gap
One in Four SpEd Students Still Don't Graduate on Time
Delaware's SpEd graduation rate gained 9.6 points since 2015, but a 15.6-point gap persists. Christina graduates barely half its SpEd students.
chronic-absenteeism
9th Grade: Where 1 in 4 Delaware Students Goes Missing
Chronic absenteeism peaks at 23.4% in 9th grade, nearly double elementary rates. Black and low-income freshmen hit hardest at the key dropout predictor.
chronic-absenteeism
Only 8 of 35 Districts Beat Their Pre-COVID Absence Rates
Delaware recovered 81% of its COVID attendance loss statewide, but only 8 of 35 districts have returned to pre-pandemic levels.
equity
NCC Vo-Tech Graduates 98% of Black Students
New Castle County Vo-Tech has essentially eliminated the equity gap in graduation rates, with Black students outperforming white peers by 2.6 percentage points.
chronic-absenteeism
Woodbridge Cut Chronic Absenteeism by 13 Points in One Year
Woodbridge's chronic absenteeism rate fell from 18.4% to 5.2% in 2024-25, the largest single-year improvement among Delaware traditional districts.
district-spotlight
Lake Forest Crossed 90%. No District Gained More.
Lake Forest posted Delaware's largest graduation-rate gain: up 12 points from its 2019 trough to 90.4%, first among all 16 traditional districts.
chronic-absenteeism
Seaford Cut Chronic Absenteeism by 21 Points in Three Years
The small Sussex County district went from one of Delaware's worst attendance performers to beating the state average, with 753 fewer students chronically absent.
achievement-gap
Two Districts Where One in Three Boys Don't Graduate on Time
In Seaford and Christina, male graduation rates sit near 67%, more than 13 percentage points behind female peers. Vo-tech districts show the gap can close.
chronic-absenteeism
Delaware Cut Chronic Absenteeism 8.6 Points Since 2022. The Gap by Income Hasn't Closed.
Delaware's chronic absenteeism rate fell from 25.7% in 2022 to 17.1% in 2025, but the 14.7-point gap for students who are economically disadvantaged has persisted.
graduation-rate
Delaware's Vo-Tech Districts Graduate 97%, Ten Points Above Traditional Schools
Delaware's three vo-tech districts have graduated above 95% for nine straight years, a 10-point edge that holds across student subgroups.
