School Leaders Say They're Fighting an Impossible Battle Against Chronic Absenteeism in Rural Districts
*VAN BUREN COUNTY, MI* — A lot of kids are missing a lot of school in parts of rural Southwest Michigan, and school leaders say the issues fueling chronic absenteeism — inadequate transportation, poverty, and homelessness — are beyond the reach of underresourced districts.
In a struggling part of Van Buren County, high absentee rates have ticked even higher at several schools in recent years. But several new administrators believe their efforts will turn those numbers around — and they're using tactics a researcher says are likely to work.
And not a moment too soon, said Amy Cockburn, the new principal at South Haven High School after many years as a teacher and administrator in rural Indiana schools. Schools in that state have rebounded more quickly from pandemic-driven absenteeism surges than in Michigan, possibly because of new, tougher laws.
Absent those laws, it's up to schools to dig in and fight to bring students back.
"We can put a lot of blame on things, but that doesn't do any good," Cockburn says. "It's, stop making excuses and what are we going to do?"
The Numbers Tell a Stark Story
About 26% of Southwest Michigan students were reported chronically absent last school year, missing at least 10% of school days. That's slightly better than the state's 28% of students reported chronically absent.
Southwest Michigan absenteeism percentages range from 7% at Berrien Springs Public Schools to 68% at Benton Harbor Area Schools. Very rural districts report some of the highest absenteeism rates, including 39.5% at Bloomingdale Public Schools and 41.8% at Bangor Public Schools, both in Van Buren County.
Schools need to use the right tools to bring those numbers down, said absenteeism researcher Jeremy Singer, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan-Flint. Most schools have ramped up efforts to curb absenteeism in recent years, according to a report released in August by Singer and fellow researcher Sarah Winchell Lenhoff, based on a survey of Michigan school administrators.
But many schools fail to do what actually works to get kids back in school, Singer found.
"Common, low-cost strategies like robocalls and letters home 'might move the needle a little bit, but they're not going to solve the whole problem,' Singer said. "Higher-impact, less common approaches like home visits or transportation assistance require more resources than many schools have available."
What Works
Efforts to make kids want to come to school are least common, even though, Singer said, such efforts are the most promising practices within schools' control.
"You don't have to have a million new initiatives," Singer said. He recommends a rational combination of strategies that develop relationships with families and focus on school climate and culture. That could include phone calls home, helping parents make attendance plans and communicating the importance of good attendance to fight the problem before it happens.
Of course, schools can't solve the biggest attendance problems alone, Singer said. Communities have to pitch in by addressing the big issues that impact students' ability to get to school.
Tough Lives and Missed Buses
Pullman Elementary School, part of the sprawling Bloomingdale Public Schools district, sits seven minutes north of the Van Buren/Allegan County line. Trailer homes patched with plywood and plastic sheeting line the local roads.
In a region with scarce jobs and no public transportation, families without adequate income often double up in those cramped trailer homes, including some of the district's 87 students who were homeless last year, said Rick Reo, district superintendent.
Even the best-intentioned parents struggle to get their kids to school in such circumstances, Reo said. About 44% of the district's students were chronically absent in 2024-25.
Sickness accounts for some of those absences, exacerbated by a lack of easy access to medical care. More often, kids simply miss the bus and no parent can drive them.
"School admins have sent empty buses to pick up kids who missed the first one, but 'that can get expensive,' Reo said. "Gas cards for parents and a van sent to pick up unhoused students temporarily outside busing boundaries don't help enough, either."
Like other schools in the area, Pullman has a high percentage of Hispanic students. Many of their families move frequently for seasonal work or spend a month at a time out of the country visiting family. Often, schools can transfer records to the child's new school, but that mobility can contribute to absenteeism, administrators say.
Reo hopes a revived focus on attendance will bring absenteeism numbers down. The district celebrates attendance and academic success with parent/student breakfasts and assemblies.
The middle/high school in Bloomingdale recently started running a 5:45 p.m. bus, allowing students to stay late for tutoring, clubs and sports. That means more connected kids — and more kids who have a reason to come back to school the next day, Reo said.
"I don't think anyone's figured out the attendance problem," Reo said. "Is there more we can do? Absolutely."
The community, though small, provides Pullman Pride scholarships and is working on a grant to create safer pathways to school for kids who can't get a ride. He'd like to get local volunteers into classrooms to wrap students in even more support.
"We have to do everything we can to make this place a place the kids want to be," Reo said. After all, "if kids aren't here, how can they learn?"
Small Victories at Bangor High School
At 42%, Bangor Public Schools reported the highest absenteeism percentage among rural school districts in Southwest Michigan last year. That has to change, new Bangor High School principal Tammy Wilson said.
Some high schoolers miss school because they have been "parentified," kept home to look after younger siblings while a parent works. Others hold down jobs to help support the family. Others "just don't want to be here," she said.
School attendance secretary Hailey Marbut grew up in the area, where school takes a back seat for many teens in families barely scraping by.
"They aren't looking to the future and thinking of, 'What could I do, where could I go, who could I be?' she said. "They're just trying to survive."
Since starting the job last spring, Wilson has tried to boost the school's focus on absenteeism, including by personally visiting homes of students at risk of court intervention because of absences.
She uses resources from an online attendance promotion site, such as the daily attendance announcements Marbut makes over the loudspeaker.
"Running late? Still come in. Minutes matter more than excuses," Marbut announces daily.
The school recently installed an apprenticeship program wall in the cafeteria. Designed to expand the awareness of skilled trade careers and to provide access to apprenticeship opportunities, the wall might motivate students to see school attendance as a worthwhile step toward a future they want.
Wilson believes connecting students to concrete career opportunities is key.
"If we can show them a path, they'll come to school," Wilson said.
What's Next
School leaders across rural Southwest Michigan are calling for community investment in transportation infrastructure, affordable housing, and healthcare access. They're also pushing for state support to help underresourced districts implement proven attendance strategies.
The challenge extends beyond individual schools. It requires a community-wide approach to address the root causes of chronic absenteeism in rural areas where poverty, inadequate housing, and limited transportation options keep children from getting to class.
As new administrators like Cockburn, Reo, and Wilson take the helm, they're bringing fresh perspectives and determination to a problem that has plagued rural education for years. But without broader community and state support, schools alone cannot solve the crisis.
"We're fighting an uphill battle," Cockburn said. "But we're not giving up. We have to do everything we can."