I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro: chronic absenteeism and attendance
21K281 · Junior High-Intermediate-Middle · 8787 24 Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11214 · Bensonhurst East · District 21
25.8%
chronically absent in 2024-25
34.7%
District 21
29.2%
NYC middle grades (6 to 8)
In 2024-25, 324 of 1,255 students at I.S. 281 Joseph B Cavallaro missed 10 percent or more of the school year, 8.9 points lower than District 21 and 3.3 points lower than NYC middle grades (6 to 8). The rate rose 3.7 points from 2023-24, and was 18.3% in 2018-19, before the pandemic. The average attendance rate was 92.6%.
Chronic absenteeism and attendance by year
| Year | Bar chart of the school’s rate | Chronically absent | NYC | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 18.3% | 26.5% | 94.1% | |
| 2019-20 | 14.4% | 25.1% | 94.9% | |
| 2020-21 | 33.9% | 29.7% | 88.6% | |
| 2021-22 | 25.2% | 40.4% | 92.7% | |
| 2022-23 | 22.6% | 36.2% | 93.0% | |
| 2023-24 | 22.1% | 34.8% | 92.9% | |
| 2024-25 | 25.8% | 33.3% | 92.6% |
A dash means no published figure for that year. 2019-20 covers September to mid-March only, and 2020-21 included remote learning.
By grade, 2024-25
- Grade 620.9%
- Grade 727.3%
- Grade 828.8%
By student group, 2024-25
| Student group | Students | Rate | Everyone else |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students with disabilities | 237 | 42.2% | 22.0% |
| English language learners | 350 | 28.3% | 24.9% |
| Students in poverty | 1,057 | 27.6% | 16.2% |
| Students in temporary housing | 118 | 39.0% | 24.4% |
Rates for small groups can swing a lot from year to year.
What moves this number
A personal call home on the first unexplained absence, a recorded reason for every absence, and a weekly attendance team meeting where every student gets an owner and a next step. Chancellor’s Regulation A-210 asks every NYC school for all three. BrainBridge makes them the easiest thing your team does each day.
Other District 21 schools
Source: NYC Public Schools, End-of-Year Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism Data (2018-19 to 2024-25). Chronically absent means missing 10 percent or more of the days a student was enrolled, for any reason; it counts students enrolled at least 10 days who attended at least once. Group figures the city suppresses for privacy are left out. District figures include transfer schools.
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