Demographics of Children With Excessive School
Absenteeism.
An NCCP study (Romero & Lee, 2008) found that children
from families earning less than 300% of the federal poverty
level were 4 times more likely to have chronic absences than
children from families whose incomes were above that level
(Romero & Lee, 2008). Absences were most prevalent in
families with parents from minority backgrounds, large
numbers of children, single mothers, a mother who had not
finished high school, chaotic home environments, and household
members with physical and mental health problems.
Absences also may be a proxy measure for underlying,
chronic conditions in family members (Romero & Lee,
2008).