Education data coverage for Aurora East. Data-driven education journalism for Illinois. Every number verified against state DOE data.https://il.edtribune.com/en-usEdTribune 2026https://il.edtribune.com/il/2026-06-14-il-64-at-all-time-high/https://il.edtribune.com/il/2026-06-14-il-64-at-all-time-high/Illinois's statewide chronic absenteeism rate improved in 2024-25, falling from 26.3% to 25.4%. That improvement, however modest, is real. But it masks a troubling counter-trend: 64 districts recorded...Sun, 14 Jun 2026 12:00:00 GMT<p>Illinois's statewide chronic absenteeism rate improved in 2024-25, falling from 26.3% to 25.4%. That improvement, however modest, is real. But it masks a troubling counter-trend: 64 districts recorded their highest chronic absenteeism rates in the available 2018-19 to 2024-25 district series.</p> <p>These are not just the usual suspects. The list includes <a href="https://edtribune.com/il/districts/joliet-twp-hsd-204" class="district-link">Joliet Twp^↗</a> HSD 204 at 51.3%, <a href="https://edtribune.com/il/districts/aurora-east-usd-131" class="district-link">Aurora East^↗</a> USD 131 at 30.2%, and Belleville Twp HSD 201 at 37.8%. It spans unit districts, elementary districts, and high school districts. What they share is a trajectory that has not reversed: while the state as a whole is slowly improving, these 64 districts are still getting worse.</p> <h2>Who is hitting new highs</h2> <p><img src="https://edtribune.com/il/img/2026-06-14-il-64-at-all-time-high-distribution.png" alt="Distribution of rates among all-time high districts" /></p> <p>The 64 districts at available-series highs span a wide range of chronic rates. Some are recording a new high at a relatively low level: a district going from 8% to 11% is still well below the state average. Others are crossing alarming thresholds. Three districts on this list are above 40%, and two are above 50%.</p> <p><img src="https://edtribune.com/il/img/2026-06-14-il-64-at-all-time-high-worst.png" alt="Worst rates among all-time high districts" /></p> <p>The county distribution is broad. Cook County has 11 districts on the list, while Lake and Marion each have four. Peoria, Saint Clair, and Tazewell each have three. Record-high chronic absence is not confined to one part of the state.</p> <h2>The statewide average is misleading</h2> <p>When a state reports aggregate improvement while 64 districts are simultaneously hitting new highs, the aggregate is doing two things at once: capturing real recovery in some communities and averaging away active deterioration in others.</p> <p>That means the statewide trend can continue to show improvement even as a set of communities falls further behind. The district-level series is the warning sign the statewide average does not show.</p> <p>For the students in these 64 districts, the statewide trend is irrelevant. Their schools are not recovering from the pandemic attendance crisis. They are still in it, and for the first time in the available data, the crisis is worse than at any previous point.</p> <hr /> <p><em>Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.</em></p>