Bridgeport Public Schools (BPS) has seen an almost ten-point drop in chronic absenteeism between October 2024 and October 2025, according to data recently released by the school district.
The data shows chronic absenteeism dropping between 2020 and 2023, from 31.1 percent to 28 percent, before rising again in October 2024 to 32 percent. The chronic absenteeism rate fell to 22.6 percent in October 2025.
According to BPS, the preliminary number for November is also lower than historical data, at an estimated 23 percent compared to a typical range from 27 to 32 percent.
“These numbers show us something important. Our collective work is taking hold.” BPS interim superintendent Dr. Royce Avery said in a press release. “This progress is the result of principals leading with intention, teachers building strong relationships, and school teams staying connected with families. When our district comes together with one purpose, our students feel the difference.”
BPS reported strengthening family outreach and home visits, school-based attendance teams, incentive and engagement programs, and transportation and communication supports, among others, in its efforts to cut down on chronic absenteeism.
Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing 1o percent or more of the number of days a student is enrolled during a school year, surged across the state after schools closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the 2021-2022 school year, statewide chronic absenteeism was 23.7 percent. Since then, it has been falling, with roughly 17.2 percent of students chronically absent in the 2024-2025 school year. The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE) has touted its implementation of an anti-truancy home-visitation program, known as the Learner Engagement and Attendance Policy (LEAP), for the reduction in the chronic absenteeism rate.
In August 2024, CSDE officials said they had seen double-digit improvement in student attendance rates within six months of a child receiving a home visit through the LEAP program.
Total public school enrollment has also dropped since the pandemic, declining by roughly four thousand students between the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school years.
In July, a CSDE contractor completed an audit of BPS that had been ordered in April. That followed a vote by the state Board of Education in January to intervene in the district, including by establishing a technical team and providing training to the Bridgeport Board of Education.
The audit confirmed there was a lack of board oversight, as well as finding unusual budget transfers, misclassifications of expenditures, and inefficiencies.
An October update from CSDE commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker said the state is making progress with Bridgeport and pointed to a reduction in teacher vacancies as a sign of progress. In fall 2024, the district had 120 openings, including 31 in special education. This fall, the district had 41 openings, with two in special education.
“We have also restored safe and reliable bus service for thousands of students, reducing walking distance and stabilizing routes.” Russell-Tucker wrote.
But despite the improvements, CSDE data shows that incidents in Bridgeport schools remain high. In general, incidents have risen since the pandemic. In 2020-2021, for example, there were 2,520 incidents of physical and verbal confrontation and 2,698 incidents involving fight and battery. During the 2024-2025 school year, there were 20,390 incidents involving physical and verbal confrontation and 14,002 involving fighting and battery. The number of incidents in every category CSDE tracks has risen over the past five years. The Bridgeport school district has 20,022 students enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year.
Bridgeport schools account for about six percent of the incidents involving physical and verbal confrontation in 2024-2025 and 12 percent of the incidents involving fighting and battery.
Was this article helpful?
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
