Congratulations to the 2025 Attendance Innovation Award Winners!
Deciding on a winner amongst so many amazing nominations was not easy! Read on to learn more about the winning schools and districts, and join us on August 14 for a live session where they’ll share more about their innovative strategies!
Announcing the 2025 Attendance Innovation Award Winners!
Grand Prize Winner of a $5,000 scholarship for a graduating senior + $2,000 in attendance incentives:
Menchville High School - Newport News Public Schools, Virginia
Implementing a special soccer league to improve attendance for students who are EnglishLearners, the team elevated the love of the sport which not only brought more students into school but also introduced them to skills beyond athleticism, including statistics and public speaking. By scheduling tournaments on days with historically low attendance, they saw that day’s average daily attendance improve, and the overall English Learner chronic absenteeism rate drop from 33% to 29%.
Four Runner-Up Winners of $1,000 in attendance incentives:
Carver College and Career Academy - Chesterfield County Public Schools, Virginia
Created a culture of accountability, support, and engagement through structured homeroom programming, compelling incentives, and a multi-tiered attendance initiative that helped students understand why school matters, and in turn, improved attendance. 53% of students improved or maintained their attendance over the prior school year and participation in extracurriculars surged.
Clark County School District, Nevada
Supported families and raised awareness around the importance of attendance through numerous community partnerships, including both local businesses and nonprofits. This resulted in a measurable reduction is chronic absenteeism from 36% in the 2022-2023 school year to 28% by early 2025.
Glendora Unified School District, California
Focused on supporting families and improving attendance through professional learning communities, strategic use of data, and a dedicated resource center. Over the past two years, the district has seen chronic absenteeism rates move from 17.5% to just under 8%.
Perris Union High School District, California
Nurtured family engagement and improved attendance through evidence-based PELI (Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative) Action Teams designed tore-engage students and families through meaningful connection, communication, and student voice. This resulted in a districtwide reduction of chronic absenteeism by nearly 8%, increased family participation in school-based engagement activities, and higher rates of student participation in peer-to-peer mentoring, leadership opportunities, and voice-focused forums.