The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced that preliminary figures for student attendance during the 2018-19 school year show promising improvements.

The figures were presented on Oct. 16 to the LAUSD Board of Education. Compared to September 2017, chronic absenteeism among all students declined by 1.5 percent, and excellent attendance increased by 2.2 percent.

“Attendance matters, and I’m pleased to see we’re making progress,” LAUSD Superintendent Austin Beutner said. “While it’s still early in the year, chronic absenteeism is down and overall attendance is up. The results compare favorably with the past three years, when absenteeism was increasing. We expect this progress to continue.”

Students are considered to be chronically absent when they miss 15 or more school days, while excellent attendance is defined as having missed seven or fewer days. In the three years leading up to the end of the 2017-18 school year, chronic absenteeism had been gradually increasing and nearly reached 15 percent. Excellent attendance had been decreasing among students across the LAUSD.

For information, visit lausd.net.