Attendance Incentive Pilot
Watch the CCSD Monthly Leadership Press Conference from March 25, 2025, to learn more.
CCSD and Absenteeism
The Problem: Chronic Absenteeism in South Carolina
Chronic absenteeism is a growing concern that affects student achievement, graduation rates, and long-term success. This 9-week pilot program is designed to encourage consistent school attendance by providing financial incentives to students who attend school every day.
- Statewide Concern: Nearly 25% of South Carolina students were chronically absent during the 2022-23 school year, nearly double pre-pandemic levels.
- “Be Present S.C.” attendance campaign at several pilot districts this summer through the SC Department of Education.
- Academic Impact: Chronically absent students are half as likely to be on grade level in math compared to their peers.
The Solution: A Cost-Effective, Data-Driven Approach
- Chronic absenteeism is often linked to economic barriers—transportation, family responsibilities, and financial hardship.
- Traditional interventions—truancy fines, punitive measures, and awareness campaigns—have not significantly moved the needle.
- Instead of hiring more personnel, CCSD is directly investing in families to improve attendance at a fraction of the cost.
- Direct Financial Incentives: Families receive $25 per week if their child attends school every day. Incentives are funded through our Weighted Student Funding Program.
- Cost Efficiency: The pilot program's per-student cost is $225, significantly lower than the $590 per-pupil cost associated with traditional interventions.
Why this Pilot Matters
- Scalable Success: If positive trends continue, the program can be expanded to benefit more students and families.
- Initiative is a strategic investment aimed at removing barriers to attendance and enhancing academic outcomes.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Ongoing evaluation will guide future actions to ensure the most effective strategies are implemented.
Early Results: Attendance Improvements
Results: Significant Attendance Improvements
School-Wide Gains: All participating schools include: A.C. Corcoran Elementary School, E.B. Ellington Elementary School, Ladson Elementary School, Lambs Elementary School, Midland Park Primary School, Morningside Middle School, North Charleston High School, Simmons-Pinckney Middle School, W.B. Goodwin Elementary School (reported increased perfect attendance from Week 1 to Week 2.) and West Ashley High School.
WEEK 1: In all elementary/middle schools participating all grade levels experienced increases in perfect attendance.
WEEK 2: Increases in every school and every grade level with 6 of 8 schools with double digit gains.
WEEK 3: Increases in all grade levels except for First Grade, but there were increases in every school in at least one grade level with 6 of 8 schools with double digit gains.
WEEK 4: Overall similar results with substantiated gains at Simmons Pinckney.
* Initial data of how the $25 has been spent by families: Dominion Energy. grocery stores, Uber, Lyft, and CARTA bus services.
Program Information
Participating Schools and Grade Levels: Lambs (4th) , AC Corcoran (3rd, 4th, and 5th), Goodwin (3rd, 4th and 5th), Ellington (K), Simmons Pinckney (6th, 7th and 8th), Ladson (3rd and 4th), Midland Park (K), Morningside (8th), EB Ellington (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th), and West Ashley High School.
Program Details
- Dates: March 10 – May 16
- Incentive: $25 electronic gift card per week for students who attend school every day during the week
- Eligibility: Attendance will be tracked to ensure students are present for the full school day (students missing more than 50% of the day are considered absent).
- Payments: $25 payments are processed through Bill.com and can be added to Google Pay or Apple Pay. All funds must be used by June 30.
- You will need to download the app.
- Once you receive a welcome email from Bill.com, you will be able to finish setting up your account.
- Please make sure your email and phone number are updated in PowerSchool as this information will be used for payment processing.
If you have any questions, please contact your school liaison at or email wsf@charleston.k12.sc.us.
Examples of other School Incentive Programs
- Detroit Public Schools launched its Perfect Attendance Pays program in January 2025, providing $200 gift cards for perfect attendance every two weeks. In the first week alone, 1,800 students achieved perfect attendance. The district is currently assessing long-term feasibility.
- Oakland Unified’s Attendance Incentive Experiment ran for 10 weeks and found that financial incentives initially increased attendance, but long-term engagement was driven by mentorship and school relationships.
- Birmingham City Schools and St. Louis Public Schools have successfully provided financial incentives to parents to cover transportation costs, proving that direct financial support helps eliminate attendance barriers.
- Sustainability: Many districts are still evaluating long-term financial feasibility, but early results suggest that if absenteeism decreases, districts may save money in the long run by reducing the need for costly interventions like truancy officers, remediation, and dropout prevention programs.
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