Salem-Keizer Public Schools Sees Continued Growth in Attendance

Salem-Keizer Public Schools saw another year of improved student attendance, marking two consecutive years of gains in regular attender rates. Data from the Oregon Department of Education, which defines regular attendance as attending more than 90 percent of school days, shows SKPS’ regular attender rate increased by one percentage point from 56 percent in 2023-24 to 57 percent in 2024-25. This follows a jump from 52 percent in 2022-23.

School attendance is clearly a critical part of students having access to instruction, as well as connecting with peers, participating in opportunities and accessing resources. We are glad that our regular attendance rates have improved again this past year, and we still urgently need students and families to prioritize getting to school on time, every day.

Gains for Schools and Student Groups

Many schools saw increases in their regular attender rates from previous years, with several showing significant growth from 2023-24 to 2024-25:

• Keizer Elementary School increased by 13.1 points.
• Chávez and McKinley elementary schools increased by 6.8 and 5.3 points, respectively.
• Auburn, Forest Ridge and Salem Heights elementary schools increased by 4.9, 4.3 and 4.3 percentage points, respectively.
• Whiteaker and Houck middle schools increased by 5.2 and 4.2 points, respectively.
• West Salem High School increased by 3.8 points.

Many of the district’s focal student groups saw meaningful increases in the percentage of students who had regular attendance, including:

• American Indian/Alaska Native: up 6 percentage points
• Black/African American: up 3 points
• Hispanic/Latino: up 2 points
• Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: up 4 points
• Students experiencing homelessness: up 4 points
• Students in foster care: up 8 points
• 9th Grade: up 4.3 points

Kindergarten is also up 2.4 percentage points, which in total reflects a 12.8 point increase since 2022-23.

“Seeing this trend for our kindergarten students is a huge success and something we must continue to build on,” said Deputy Superintendent Olga Cobb. “Kindergarten is a crucial year for our youngest learners, and setting healthy habits is so important for developing those positive routines early on.”

Climbing Together

This steady climb in regular attendance remains on track with the school board’s strategic goals and our Climbing Together two-year strategic plan. These gains represent meaningful progress in a long-term effort to improve student outcomes.

Our rates for ninth-grade students in 2024-25 increased by 4.3 points over ninth-grade students from the previous year, marking an encouraging uptick during a pivotal year for students.

Attendance Matters

At the start of the 2024-25 school year, we launched our Attendance Matters campaign to spread community-wide awareness about the importance of attending school regularly while recognizing the challenges many students navigate each day. The campaign prioritizes learning from students and families about their needs, aligning attendance improvement strategies, and partnering with the community to find solutions to this statewide and national issue.

As this work continues, SKPS encourages the broader community to find ways to be involved in supporting student attendance:

• Share the message with friends, family and neighbors about why attending school each day matters.
• Volunteer at a local school to help students feel welcomed and connected.
• Encourage the students in your life by reminding them they matter and their presence makes a difference.
• Help connect families to resources when they face barriers to getting their children to school.