Years after COVID-19 disrupted American schools, nearly every state is still struggling with attendance.
But attendance has been worse for Native American and Alaska Native students — a disparity that existed before the pandemic and has since grown, according to data collected by The Associated Press.
Out of 34 states with data available for the 2022-2023 school year, half had absenteeism rates for Native students that were at least 9 percentage points higher than the state average.
Many schools serving Native students have been working to strengthen connections with families, who often struggle with higher rates of illness and poverty.
Schools also must navigate distrust dating back to the U.S. government's campaign to break up Native American culture, language and identity by forcing children into abusive boarding schools.
Algodones Elementary School, located about midway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, has made progress in earning some trust from families and students.
The school serves a handful of Native American pueblos along New Mexico's Upper Rio Grande.
About two-thirds of students are chronically absent, meaning they missed 10% or more of the school year.
The communities were hit hard by COVID-19, with devastating impacts on elders. Since schools reopened, students have been slow to return.
Excused absences for sick days are still piling up — in some cases, Principal Rosangela Montoya suspects, students are stressed about falling behind academically.
Staff and tribal liaisons have been analyzing every absence and emphasizing connections with parents. By 10 a.m., telephone calls go out to the homes of absent students.
Next steps include in-person meetings with those students’ parents.
About 95% of Algodones' students are Native American, and the school strives to affirm their identity. It doesn't open on four days set aside for Native American ceremonial gatherings, and students are excused for absences on other cultural days as designated by the nearby pueblos.
One Algodones parent, Jennifer Tenorio, told the AP that one huge difference is that the school offers classes in the family’s native language of Keres.
She said it’s helped her son to feel more connected to his tribal culture while simultaneously being more inspired at school.
ICT, a news outlet that covers Indigenous issues, contributed to this story.
This story was adapted from an Associated Press article by Cheyanne Mumphrey, Sharon Lurye, and Morgan Lee.
