Creating Welcoming Schools: The Role of Positive Climates in Reducing Absenteeism.

This article examines the relationship between student perceptions of school climate and chronic absenteeism among middle and high school students in Georgia, using statewide data from 2014 to 2022. It finds that more positive perceptions of school climate—particularly in the dimensions of connectedness, safety, and academic structure—are significantly associated with lower rates of chronic absenteeism, especially for Black and White students. The study also reveals that worsening school climate has a stronger and more consistent association with increased absenteeism than improvements have with reductions, highlighting the asymmetric impact of climate changes. These findings suggest that school climate is a malleable, within-school factor that educators and administrators can target to help reduce absenteeism, complementing efforts to address broader structural barriers.