How One Rural School Tackled Chronic Absenteeism and Strengthened Student Engagement
Introduction
Jellico Elementary School serves a tight-knit rural community where staff turnover is low, but chronic absenteeism had become a critical challenge. After making significant progress in previous turnaround efforts, the school was re-identified for improvement when absenteeism rose to 27.6% in the 2022-23 school year.
Principal Kenny Chadwell, who had led the school’s first improvement phase, now faced the challenge of reducing absenteeism while continuing to strengthen instruction and teacher leadership. Recognizing that attendance systems lacked consistency and that families needed more clarity on school policies, Jellico partnered with PIVOT: School Improvement Leaders to implement a more structured, data-driven approach.
Through refined tracking processes, increased family engagement, and a clearer accountability structure, the school made measurable improvements in student attendance and engagement.
Challenges
“My time with PIVOT has been one of the best learning experiences I have had as a school leader. With the training I have received, I have been able to build systems within our building that have led to increased growth and achievement.”
Jellico had been working to improve chronic absenteeism for several years, seeing steady gains prior to the pandemic. But when COVID-19 disrupted regular routines, familiar obstacles returned in full force. Attendance habits were interrupted, and many of the systems that had previously helped reduce absenteeism had begun to lose traction.
At the same time, students faced real-life barriers—many relied on themselves to get ready for school, while others avoided long bus rides that could last over an hour. Attendance system policies—such as the differences between excused and unexcused absences—weren’t always clearly communicated, adding another layer of confusion for families.
Another key challenge was the lack of an effective follow-up process once students crossed attendance thresholds. Without a system for timely intervention after three unexcused absences, many cases weren’t addressed until students had already fallen significantly behind.
Additionally, families were largely unaware of attendance policies and how absenteeism affected both student outcomes and overall school health—highlighting the need to inform and invest families and students in the improvement process.
While many staff members were involved in monitoring absenteeism, the process lacked efficiency. Over time, as many as fourteen different people were assigned to track attendance, leading to inconsistencies in intervention and follow-up. Without a centralized system or clear ownership, the school needed a more cohesive and structured approach.
The Approach
To create a more effective and sustainable system for addressing chronic absenteeism at Jellico, Principal Chadwell streamlined the attendance process, assigning a single point person to oversee attendance tracking and intervention. This eliminated confusion and ensured more consistent follow-ups with students and families.
As part of his work with PIVOT’s coaching sessions, Principal Chadwell examined attendance patterns and intervention points to identify the best ways to engage families and reduce chronic absenteeism. A key focus was parent education: helping families understand that even excused absences contributed to learning loss and impacted school health metrics. He reinforced the importance of daily attendance, encouraged families to schedule medical appointments outside of school hours, and initiated conversations about long-term interventions for students with ongoing health concerns.
In addition to reinforcing accountability, the school introduced new incentives to encourage attendance. For older students, sports became a lever for accountability. If students weren’t coming to school, they wouldn’t be eligible to play. Throughout this process, PIVOT was a thought partner, helping Principal Chadwell analyze trends and strategize ways to sustain improvement. Just as importantly, being part of the PIVOT principal cohort gave him a sense of encouragement and motivation—connecting with other school leaders facing similar challenges energized his efforts and helped him stay focused on the work.
On the operational side, the school simplified its attendance tracking system. A previously complicated reporting method, which had created confusion among teachers and staff, was replaced with a straightforward process for submitting and logging excuse notes. This ensured that records were updated accurately and in real time, reducing miscommunication and lost documentation.
Outcomes
By enhancing their attendance tracking, increasing parent engagement, and implementing clear accountability measures, Jellico Elementary saw a significant reduction in chronic absenteeism. Over the course of the partnership, absenteeism rates dropped from 27.6% to 15.5%.
The school’s data-driven approach led to more proactive interventions. Attendance records were reviewed daily, and weekly reports surfaced at-risk students before they reached the threshold for chronic absenteeism. Rather than waiting for cases to escalate, Principal Chadwell personally reached out to families, creating a sense of partnership between the school and parents.
By year two, Jellico was able to connect attendance improvements to academic progress. The school’s efforts created a tangible shift, where attendance became a shared priority among students, families, and staff.
Testimonials
Principal Chadwell described PIVOT’s coaching as a transformative learning experience, helping him develop sustainable systems to improve attendance, instructional leadership, and teacher collaboration: “My time with PIVOT has been one of the best learning experiences I have had as a school leader. With the training I have received, I have been able to build systems within our building that have led to increased growth and achievement.”
In addition to attendance improvements, PIVOT’s support helped strengthen teacher leadership, fostering a culture where educators took a more active role in shaping instructional practices: “We were able to see teachers also getting more involved in our weekly PLC's and even started leading these meetings demonstrating the teacher leaders that we knew we had.”
Conclusion
Jellico Elementary’s success in reducing chronic absenteeism was the result of strong leadership, strategic interventions, and a renewed focus on student and family engagement. With a clearer approach to tracking attendance, stronger accountability measures, and a focus on building positive relationships with families, Principal Chadwell established sustainable systems that weathered the test of changing times and will continue to support student success.
For principals and district leaders facing similar challenges, PIVOT provides expert coaching and data-driven strategies that drive meaningful change. Contact PIVOT: School Improvement Leaders today to learn how their tailored approach can support your school’s success.
