Attendance Incentive Pilot
CCSD and Absenteeism
Watch the CCSD Monthly Leadership Press Conference video below
from March 25, 2025, to learn more.
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.
- Data from CCSD confirms that students who regularly attend school perform significantly better in core subjects, especially in high-poverty schools:
- In high-poverty elementary schools, only 11.7% of chronically absent students met or exceeded SCReady benchmarks, compared to 33.6% of students who attended regularly—a 21.9% gap.
- Math proficiency, in particular, is a strong predictor of future earnings, making absenteeism a direct contributor to income inequality.
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. Currently, CCSD Attendance Investments are $1,116,692.50 for 1,892 chronically absent students equaling $590.22 per student.
- 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.
Results: Attendance Improvements
Key Results:
1. Increased Attendance
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+1.48 percentage points overall increase in pilot school-grade groups (compared to non-pilot groups).
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Excluding West Ashley High, the effect increases to +2.11 points.
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This equals 2.7 to 3.8 extra school days per student annually, or 135,000 to 190,000 more student-days districtwide.
2. Strongest Gains at Elementary Level
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Elementary schools saw +3.27 percentage points (up to 5.89 at E.B. Ellington).
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W.B. Goodwin Grade 3 rose +3.29 points.
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Middle and high school gains were smaller; 12th grade showed a slight decline.
3. Equity Gains
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Economically disadvantaged students improved by +2.3 points.
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The attendance gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students dropped from 2.1 points in 2023 to just 0.1 in 2025.
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These students gained ~1,774 additional instructional days in six weeks.
4. Demographic Response
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Beginning English Learners: +4.17 points (best result).
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Hispanic: +3.1 | Black: +1.5 | Special Education: +2.1
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Students with 504 plans: –2.4 (only group with a decline).
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Gender impact was balanced: +1.60 (females), +1.52 (males)
* 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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