Dupage Policy Journal

Students in Kane County schools were truant 19.2% of the time in the 2021-22 school year, the Illinois State Board of Education reported. The truancy rate was higher than the previous school year.

There were 110,118 students enrolled in Kane County in the 2021-22 school year, meaning 21,143 students were absent throughout the year.

The dropout rate in the county was 2%, 0.1% lower than the year before.

Statewide, Hardin County schools suffered the most truancy issues (38.4%) in the 2021-22 school year. Meanwhile, Monroe County schools successfully recorded the lowest truancy rate in the region (3.1%).

Students are generally considered chronically truant if they miss 5% or more of the total number of school days in a year without acceptable excuses.

In 2022, Illinois had more than 1.9 million students enrolled in nearly 4,000 schools across 852 school districts. There were more than 350,000 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16.

K-12 enrollment has been declining in Illinois for many years, reflecting demographic changes. Combined public and private K-12 enrollment dropped three percent between the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 school years (60,900 students), far more than the typical 0.5 percent to 1.5 percent annual enrollment declines in Illinois over the last 5 years.

Schools	No. of students enrolled	Chronic truancy rates
Abbott Middle School	636	44.6%
Algonquin Lakes Elementary School	381	7.6%
Algonquin Middle School	441	19.4%
Alice Gustafson Elementary School	487	3.1%
Anderson Elementary School	418	2.7%
Bartlett Elementary School	471	13.4%
Bartlett High School	2,364	37.6%
Batavia Senior High School	1,871	6%
Beaupre Elementary School	158	19.1%
Bell-Graham Elementary School	480	-
Benavides STEAM Academy	310	12.7%
C.F. Simmons Middle School	818	19%
C.I. Johnson Elementary School	388	13.9%
C.M. Bardwell Elementary School	630	11.8%
Cambridge Lakes Charter School	659	15.2%
Canton Middle School	423	25.7%
Carpentersville Middle School	1,134	38.5%
Centennial School	496	11.8%
Central High School	1,327	13.7%
Central Middle School	364	2.7%
Century Oaks Elementary School	463	30.1%
Channing Memorial Elementary School	361	41.7%
Clinton Elementary School	442	12.7%
Coleman Elementary School	608	30.8%
Corron Elementary School	543	-
Country Trails Elementary School	633	-
Creekside Elementary School	498	26.7%
Davis Primary School	348	4.6%
Delacey Family Education Center	245	-
Dundee Highlands Elementary School	347	10%
Dundee Middle School	1,145	27.5%
Dundee-Crown High School	2,490	46.7%
East High School	4,092	18.8%
Eastview Elementary School	400	11.1%
Eastview Middle School	734	9.6%
Edna Rollins Elementary School	487	9.4%
Elgin High School	2,664	53.5%
Elgin Math and Science Academy Charter School	361	-
Ellis Middle School	676	39.1%
Fabyan Elementary School	228	-
Fearn Elementary School	480	4.7%
Ferson Creek School	566	-
Fox Meadow Elementary School	426	8.2%
Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy	271	6.3%
Freeman Elementary School	510	43.4%
G.N. Dieterich Elementary School	428	13.2%
Garfield Elementary School	279	35.2%
Gary D. Wright Elementary School	887	16.9%
Geneva 304 Early Learning Center	93	-
Geneva Community High School	1,679	1.4%
Geneva Middle School North	592	-
Geneva Middle School South	596	-
Gilberts Elementary School	706	9.3%
Glenbrook Elementary School	489	18.4%
Golfview Elementary School	390	24%
Goodwin Elementary School	331	39.5%
Grace McWayne Elementary School	328	5%
Greenman Elementary School	502	56.7%
H.C. Storm Elementary School	321	-
Hall Elementary School	527	14%
Hampshire Elementary School	449	11.1%
Hampshire High School	1,873	18.8%
Hampshire Middle School	743	21.1%
Hanover Countryside Elementary School	353	11.8%
Harriet Gifford Elementary School	380	30.2%
Harrison Street Elementary School	388	-
Harry D. Jacobs High School	2,005	22.6%
Hawk Hollow Elementary School	353	11.4%
Heartland Elementary School	316	-
Henry W. Cowherd Middle School	893	13.2%
Herget Middle School	631	9.8%
Heritage Elementary School	397	25.2%
Highland Elementary School	553	35.9%
Hill Elementary School	546	57.3%
Hillcrest Elementary School	419	25.1%
Hilltop Elementary School	501	21.1%
Hoover Wood Elementary School	349	7.4%
Horizon Elementary School	520	21.2%
Howard B. Thomas Grade School	689	4.3%
Huff Elementary School	490	31.2%
J.B. Nelson Elementary School	376	9%
Jefferson Middle School	581	19.7%
Jewel Middle School	579	14.7%
John C Dunham Stem Partnership School	122	-
John Gates Elementary School	399	8.2%
K.D. Waldo Middle School	927	13.5%
Kaneland Blackberry Creek Elementary	512	-
Kaneland Harter Middle School	936	2.8%
Kaneland John Shields Elementary School	441	-
Kaneland John Stewart Elementary School	410	-
Kaneland McDole Elementary School	431	-
Kaneland Senior High School	1,323	4.3%
Kenneth E. Neubert Elementary School	462	6.5%
Kenyon Woods Middle School	880	21.3%
Kimball Middle School	607	34.5%
L.D. Brady Elementary School	286	12.4%
Lake In The Hills Elementary School	461	12.8%
Lakewood School	761	34.8%
Larkin High School	2,117	57.7%
Larsen Middle School	657	35.1%
Laurel Hill Elementary School	392	35.8%
Liberty Elementary School	505	12.2%
Liberty Elementary School	744	11.6%
Lily Lake Grade School	263	-
Lincoln Elementary School	218	-
Lincoln Elementary School	472	21.4%
Lincoln Prairie Elementary School	458	16.8%
Lords Park Elementary School	553	25.8%
Louise White Elementary School	355	-
Lowrie Elementary School	367	22.1%
Mabel O. Donnell Elementary School	376	20.9%
McCleery Elementary School	534	51.8%
McKinley Elementary School	332	27%
Meadowdale Elementary School	415	27.2%
Mill Creek School	413	-
Munhall Elementary School	497	-
Nature Ridge Elementary School	532	16.5%
Nicholas A. Hermes Elementary School	548	17.7%
Nicholson Elementary School	286	49.8%
Norton Creek Elementary School	445	-
Oak Park Elementary School	427	9.8%
Oakhill Elementary School	393	13.9%
Olney C. Allen Elementary School	653	22.2%
Ontarioville Elementary School	420	28.8%
Otter Creek Elementary School	636	19.4%
Parkview Elementary School	361	27%
Parkwood Elementary School	300	24.6%
Perry Elementary School	285	64.4%
Prairie Knolls Middle School	763	4.2%
Prairie View Grade School	599	-
Prairieview Elementary School	315	10.4%
Richmond Intermediate School	372	5.6%
Ridge Circle Elementary School	459	24.9%
Ronald D.O. Neal Elementary School	479	31.9%
Rose E. Krug Elementary School	257	20.4%
Saint Charles East High School	2,069	8.2%
Saint Charles North High School	1,911	7.5%
Sam Rotolo Middle School	1,178	5.5%
Schneider Elementary School	359	-
Sleepy Hollow Elementary School	373	15.1%
Smith Elementary School	409	21.2%
South Elgin High School	2,910	32.7%
Spring Trail Elementary School	337	10.8%
Streamwood High School	1,757	42.1%
Sunnydale Elementary School	344	22%
Sycamore Trails Elementary School	623	8.2%
Tefft Middle School	962	43.9%
Thompson Middle School	1,256	3.3%
Timber Trails Elementary School	342	20.7%
Wasco Elementary School	451	-
Washington Elementary School	369	32%
Washington Middle School	629	14.5%
Wayne Elementary School	342	14.1%
West Aurora High School	3,635	24.8%
West Aurora Learning Center	226	-
Western Avenue Elementary School	333	-
Westfield Community School	1,309	10.1%
Wild Rose Elementary School	526	-
Willard Elementary School	248	22.1%
Williamsburg Elementary School	454	-
Wredling Middle School	1,379	6.8%