2026 data report

Chronic absenteeism rate (%) in California public schools

Statewide trends and county leaderboards for chronic absenteeism rate (%), sourced directly from CDE SARC. Lower is better.

From CDE SARC, cycles 22-23, 23-24, 24-25. Last refreshed 2026-05-15.

Statewide trend

Median (plum line) and p25–p75 band (mist), all California public schools per cycle.

Best 25 counties — Chronic absenteeism rate (%)

  1. 1Marin10.7
  2. 2Placer11.1
  3. 3San Mateo12.7
  4. 4Orange13.1
  5. 5Santa Clara13.3
  6. 6Glenn13.6
  7. 7Kings14.1
  8. 8Tehama14.4
  9. 9Santa Barbara15.2
  10. 10Tulare15.7
  11. 11Modoc15.9
  12. 12Sutter16.6
  13. 13Yuba16.6
  14. 14Ventura16.8
  15. 15Monterey16.9
  16. 16Napa17.0
  17. 17Stanislaus17.3
  18. 18San Luis Obispo17.4
  19. 19Kern17.5
  20. 20Sonoma17.5
  21. 21San Diego17.6
  22. 22Nevada18.4
  23. 23Yolo18.6
  24. 24Santa Cruz18.7
  25. 25Shasta18.9

Worst 25 counties — Chronic absenteeism rate (%)

  1. 1Inyo40.4
  2. 2Lake37.8
  3. 3Plumas30.7
  4. 4Mendocino30.6
  5. 5Mariposa29.6
  6. 6Siskiyou28.6
  7. 7San Francisco26.6
  8. 8Mono24.6
  9. 9Lassen24.5
  10. 10Solano24.5
  11. 11Humboldt24.1
  12. 12Tuolumne23.4
  13. 13San Joaquin23.3
  14. 14San Bernardino23.2
  15. 15Madera23.1
  16. 16Sacramento23.0
  17. 17Riverside22.4
  18. 18Trinity21.9
  19. 19Los Angeles20.6
  20. 20Fresno20.3
  21. 21Imperial20.3
  22. 22Merced20.0
  23. 23San Benito19.2
  24. 24Shasta18.9
  25. 25Santa Cruz18.7

How we score this

Every California public school's raw number is mapped to a 0–10 score using the absolute anchor table below — no peer-relative ranking.

Chronic absenteeism rate (%)

Lower is better

Column: RALL

PercentileRaw valueScore
5th4.310
50th18.95
95th65.90

Values between the 5th and 95th percentile are linearly interpolated. Outside that range, scores clamp at 0 or 10.

Read the full methodology →