Partner Spotlight: Corona Norco Unified School District, California

Background

Located in Southern California, Corona-Norco Unified School District (CNUSD) serves more than 50,000 students. The district has long been committed to supporting the whole child, academically, socially, and emotionally, and that commitment extends to ensuring students are present and engaged every day.

Under the leadership of Cassandra Willis, Director of Student Services, CNUSD has launched a districtwide effort to reduce chronic absenteeism and create a culture where attendance is truly everyone’s responsibility. As Cassandra put it,

“We’re not isolating attendance—we’re incorporating it into everything we do. Our campaign is called Attendance Is Everybody’s Business, and we mean that literally.”

The Challenge

Like many districts across California, CNUSD saw chronic absenteeism rise in the years following the pandemic. While data monitoring and communication systems were already in place, attendance work was often seen as the job of a few, registrars, attendance clerks, or administrators, rather than the entire school community.

At the same time, CNUSD faced the challenge of reaching Tier 3 students—those who had missed months or even years of school.

As the district sought to improve attendance across all tiers, leaders also wanted to celebrate schools making progress and ensure that every staff member, from teachers to custodians, understood their role in helping students feel connected to school.

The Solution

To address these challenges, CNUSD launched a multi-tiered attendance strategy grounded in community, recognition, and data.

1. Making Attendance Everyone’s Business
The district rolled out the Attendance Is Everybody’s Business campaign, engaging every department in the effort—from teachers and security guards to maintenance staff.

“When our campuses are clean and look good, kids want to come to school,” Cassandra explained. “Even our maintenance team knows they play a role.”

Staff across roles received training to build awareness of how they can foster belonging and connection. A video of a security guard singing karaoke with a student is now a symbol of that effort, showing the power of relationships in driving attendance.

2. Recognizing and Celebrating Success
To sustain engagement, CNUSD introduced recognition programs that honor schools for:

• The largest decreases in chronic absenteeism,
  
  
• The highest average daily attendance, and
  
  
• Membership in the “Perfect 10 Club” (schools with chronic absenteeism under 10%).
  
  

Winning schools receive crowns, sashes, trophies, and banners, and their achievements are shared across district newsletters. “We want to celebrate progress throughout the year, not just at the end,” said Cassandra.

3. Restorative, Supportive Practices
Even before California’s SB 691 mandated supportive truancy practices, CNUSD had already made the shift from punitive to restorative notices.

“We moved SARB meetings from the boardroom to our Parent Engagement Center,” Cassandra explained. “Families meet with partners who connect them to resources, not punishment.”

CNUSD’s School Attendance Review Board (SARB) now includes community mentors, mental health providers, and others as partners. This integrated team provides wraparound support for students in Tier 3.

4. Leveraging EveryDay Labs for Tier 1 Outreach
EveryDay Labs supports CNUSD’s districtwide strategy by handling Tier 1 communication through positive, family-friendly nudges.

“EveryDay Labs takes the pressure off our registrars and sends positive, non-punitive messages,” said Cassandra. “Families aren’t just told their child is absent, they’re offered resources and support.”

Cassandra also uses the EveryDay Labs’ platform to monitor trends and target support:

“I can easily access data by student group—special education, foster, homeless, African American, and Pacific Islander students—and share actionable insights with principals.”

This seamless data integration between EveryDay Labs and the district’s internal tools enables consistent monitoring and celebration of progress.

The Results

CNUSD’s comprehensive, collaborative approach is paying off. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate dropped from 20% to 12.6%, with several schools achieving attendance rates above 97%.

At the Tier 3 level, the SARB program is achieving measurable success:

“Last year, about 67% of our SARB students changed their behavior and returned to school,” Cassandra reported.

Beyond the numbers, the district has built a culture of shared accountability and pride.

“Attendance really is everybody’s business,” Cassandra said. “When everyone takes ownership, teachers, staff, families, and the community, kids show up.”