This webpage offers information on attendance laws and regulations as well as resources to support local education agencies (LEAS) and schools in promoting school attendance.
Key requirements for all public and private schools
- Report enrollment and enrollment changes to OSSE annually.
Each public, independent, private and parochial school is required to report the information (name, address, sex and date of birth) of all DC minors who reside permanently or temporarily in the District and are currently enrolled in their school to OSSE by Oct. 5 of each year. These schools must also report to OSSE by the fifth of every month any enrollment changes (new enrollments and withdrawals). See §38-205.
- Report only full school day absences to child welfare and juvenile justice.
Only the accrual of 10 (ages 5-13) or 15 (ages 14-17) unexcused full school day absences are required to be counted for the purposes of requiring a referral to child welfare and juvenile justice agencies, respectively. A full school day is defined as the entirety of the instructional hours regularly provided on a single school day. Educational institutions have discretion in making a referral if the 10th or 15th unexcused full-day absence is accrued during the final 10 school days of the school year. See § 38-201(2B) and §38-208(c)(1).
Additional requirements for public schools
- Valid excuses for absences.
All absences must be recorded as unexcused unless the parent, guardian, or other person who has custody or control of a minor student provides the school with a valid excuse for the minor’s absence within five school days of returning to school. See § 38-203(c)(2).
Local Attendance and Truancy Law, Policy, and Regulations
Compulsory school attendance and expulsion law can be found in Title 38, Subtitle I, Chapter 2 of the DC Law. Local regulations governing public school attendance and truancy found in Title 5, Subtitle A, Chapter 20 District of Columbia Municipal Regulations (5A §2100-2199).
- Attendance Laws and Regulations for LEAs (unofficial)
- District of Columbia Municipal Regulations
- District of Columbia Official Code
For questions or additional information, please email [email protected].
Every Day Counts! Task Force and Resources
Every Day Counts! initiative seeks to ensure that every student in Washington, DC attends school every day through a public campaign, a task force of education, health, and safety leaders, and investments in data-driven strategies to reduce absenteeism.
Additional Resources
- Attendance and Distance Learning Guidance
- Attendance, Enrollment and Truancy - What is My Role as a School Leader? (webinar)
- Using Data to Improve School Attendance (webinar)
- DC Attendance Reports
- OSSE Attendance Dashboard
- Attendance Laws and Regulations
- Attendance and Truancy Resources (Parent Notice)
For questions or additional information on attendance and truancy, please contact [email protected].