The attendance letter, written to be read.

Why a letter works

Most parents don’t know how much school their child has missed. They aren’t careless; nobody has told them the number. A letter with the real count fixes that, for the cost of a stamp.

• 9.6 vs 17.8

  days missed: what parents of students with many absences guessed, and the real count.

  Philadelphia pilot survey, Rogers and Feller (2018)

• 10–15%

  fewer chronically absent students when letters told families their child’s real absence count.

  Randomized trials in Philadelphia and ten California districts (2018)

• $6–$11

  per extra day of school, counting printing and mailing.

  Same two trials

Tone matters too. In a trial with 131,312 students, a district tested rewrites of its standard truancy notice: 382 words at a 10th-grade reading level, with seven bullets of legal language. The rewrites were under 150 words at a 5th-grade level, listed the absences and put the required legal text at the end. Absences fell about 2% more in the month after a rewrite than after the original. Plain words alone weren’t enough; the versions that also told parents they make a difference and showed how absences add up were the ones that worked.

What to include

• The real count. “As of October 14, Maya has missed 7 days of school.” Count every absence, excused or not, and use the student’s name. It is what the Philadelphia and California letters were built around.

• How it adds up. Two days a month is about 18 days a year, or 10% of a 180-day school year. In the truancy-notice trial, the versions with this “add-up” message were the ones that cut absences.

• Why every day matters, in positive terms. What the student gains by being there: teachers, friends, lessons that build on each other. Parents responded best to the benefits of school, with consequences second.

• The parent’s part. Say plainly that the family makes the biggest difference. Every letter in the Philadelphia trial stressed parents’ ability to influence attendance.

• An offer of help. Ask what is getting in the way, and name the supports your school actually has: transportation, the nurse, a counselor, a mentor.

• A named person and a direct line. A name, a role, a phone number and the hours to call, not just the front office. Parents trust teachers most, then principals and counselors.

• Short, plain words. The rewritten notice that worked was under 150 words at a 5th-grade reading level. The standard one it replaced ran 382 words at a 10th-grade level.

• The family’s language. Philadelphia sent its letters in English, Spanish or Mandarin, by home language. Some states require notices in the parent’s preferred language.

What to leave out

• Threats up front

  Fines, court and prosecution as the opening message. The standard truancy notice led with seven bullets of legal language; the plain rewrite did better. If your state requires consequence language, include it in full, after the main message.

• Blame

  “You have failed to ensure…” Messages that chastise parents no longer work, the Ad Council Research Institute found. Keep the tone positive, non-threatening and supportive, as Attendance Works advises.

• Comparisons to classmates

  In Philadelphia, adding how the child compared with classmates did no better than the count alone, and the California trial dropped it. It adds words without adding results.

• Codes and jargon

  ADA, UA, truant, “per Board policy.” Write the way the contact person would talk on the phone.

• Academics-only warnings

  Messages about grades alone drew pushback from parents. Lead with the whole child.

• Perfect attendance as the goal

  Some parents feel schools push perfect attendance too hard. Ask for every day you can, and help with the rest.

When to send it

Early, and more than once. A letter after the student is already chronically absent is late.

1. 1

   Before the first absence

   A short welcome note at the start of the year on why attendance matters and who to call. The 2022-24 rural trial opened with one.

2. 2

   After 2 or 3 absences in the first month

   The first letter, with the real count. In Baltimore, students who missed 2 to 4 days in September were 5 times as likely to be chronically absent by year’s end as students who missed fewer than 2. In California and Pennsylvania, a third unexcused absence also triggers a required truancy notice.

3. 3

   Every 4 to 6 weeks

   An updated count while absences continue, and a thank-you when they stop. The rural trial messaged every 4 to 6 weeks; Philadelphia sent up to five letters a year, California up to six.

4. 4

   Within days of each letter

   A call from the named contact. In the truancy-notice trial, about 70% of the effect came in the first ten school days after a mailing. That is the window to talk.

Check the address and phone number first. In the rural trial, absences fell 4.5% where messages reached a caregiver but 1.7% overall, largely because contact information was missing or out of date.

The template

A first letter, on school letterhead, signed by the principal or the student’s teacher. Replace everything in brackets. The main message is under 150 words.

Second notice

Shorter, with the new count and a date for the call. Send it if absences continue after the first letter.

Follow-up text

From the named contact, a few days after the letter, to families who have agreed to get texts.

What your state may require

Many states require a written notice after a set number of unexcused absences, and some set what it must say. Two examples:

• California, Education Code 48260.5Since July 1, 2025 (SB 691), the first truancy notice no longer warns of prosecution. It still states the parent’s duty to send the student to school, and it tells parents that staff are available to meet and make a plan, that mental health and supportive services may be available, and that missing 10% of school for any reason can make it harder to read by third grade, do well in middle school and graduate. The California Department of Education posts a sample letter.
• Pennsylvania, Act 138After a third unexcused absence, a written notice within 10 school days, in the parent’s preferred mode and language, describing what follows if the student becomes habitually truant. It may offer an attendance improvement conference.

Examples, not legal advice. Your state’s law and your district’s policy decide what a notice must say; check them before you send.

Common questions

Chronic absenteeism: the numbers, the rules and what works →

Sources

1. 1. Rogers and Feller, “Reducing student absences at scale by targeting parents’ misbeliefs,” Nature Human Behaviour (2018): 28,080 students in grades K to 12 in Philadelphia; parents’ estimate of 9.6 days against 17.8 actual; chronic absence 36.0% to 32.4% with the absence count, 31.9% with a classmate comparison added; about $6 per extra day.
2. 2. Robinson, Lee, Dearing and Rogers, “Reducing student absenteeism in the early grades by targeting parental beliefs,” American Educational Research Journal (2018): 10,504 students in grades K to 5 in ten California districts; absences down 7.7%; chronic absence 5.45% to 4.64%, about 15% (p = .056); about $10.69 per extra day.
3. 3. Lasky-Fink, Robinson, Chang and Rogers, “Using behavioral insights to improve school administrative communications: The case of truancy notifications,” Educational Researcher (2021): 131,312 students; 382-word standard notice at a 10th-grade level against rewrites under 150 words at a 5th-grade level; about 2% fewer absences in the following month; about 70% of the effect in the first ten school days.
4. 4. Swanson and colleagues, “Lifting Up Attendance in Rural Districts” (EdWorkingPaper 25-1189, 2025): 47 rural districts in 16 states, 2022-24; messages every 4 to 6 weeks; absences down 1.7% overall and 4.5% where messages reached a caregiver.
5. 5. Baltimore Education Research Consortium, “The Importance of September Attendance.”
6. 6. Attendance Works, “What Do Families Think About Attendance?” (Oct. 2024), reporting the Ad Council Research Institute’s survey of more than 5,000 families: teachers are the most trusted messengers (61% of parents).
7. 7. Overdeck Family Foundation, “New Toolkit Offers Updated Messaging to Address the Chronic Absenteeism Crisis in K-12 Schools” (Sept. 2024), on the Ad Council Research Institute’s study: messages that chastise parents or cover only academic consequences no longer work.
8. 8. Attendance Works, “Strategy 2: Use Effective Messaging”: “Keep the tone positive, non-threatening and supportive.”
9. 9. California SB 691, Chapter 863, Statutes of 2024: Education Code 48260.5 as amended, operative July 1, 2025 (bill text).
10. 10. California Department of Education, “First Notification of Truancy” sample letter.
11. 11. Education Law Center-PA, “When Must a Child Attend School?” fact sheet on Pennsylvania’s truancy law (Aug. 2019).