Good Attendance is important for many reasons. Your child receives the maximum benefit of education by being in school every day, and numerous studies show a strong link between academic performance and consistent attendance. Because attendance is so critical for the quality of your child’s education, the State of Texas has a Compulsory Attendance Law.

Texas law requires school children to attend school each day that instruction is provided. The law applies to children between the ages of 6 and 19. If you voluntarily enroll your child in prekindergarten or kindergarten before age 6, school attendance laws apply to your child, too.

Although perfect attendance is the goal, it is not always possible. School districts are required to excuse student absences under certain circumstances. For a list of State approved excused absences, as well as other attendance laws, it is very important to note that you only have three (3) days to turn in a medical excuse to receive credit for an excused absence.

There are penalties for too many unexcused absences. Under state law, parents are held responsible for unexcused absences. Yes, even if your child is 16 years old and skips class without you knowing, YOU are considered responsible!

In addition to the Compulsory Attendance Law, there is a “90 Percent Rule”, which states that students must attend class for 90 percent of the time it is offered to receive credit for the class.  The campus Attendance Committee will evaluate all student records over the 10 allowed absences to consider promotion or retention.