Regular school attendance is a cornerstone of a thriving community. Businesses depend on reliable workforces, governments on engaged citizens, and communities on active participants. Success requires a collective effort from everyone.

Students who consistently attend school are more likely to achieve academic excellence, develop strong social skills, and cultivate a lifelong love of learning. By being present in the classroom, students gain access to a world of knowledge, build meaningful connections with peers and teachers, and develop the confidence to reach their full potential. Regular attendance is a collaborative effort by both family and school.

For Attendance Awareness Month, hear from Ka‘elepulu Elementary, ワイヘエ小学校, アーネスト・ボーエン・デシルバ小学校 そして カノエラニ小学校 about how their staff encourages and incentivizes students to show up every day, and the impressive results in their respective attendance rates. 

アーネスト・ボーエン・デシルバ小学校

At アーネスト・ボーエン・デシルバ小学校 in East Hawai‘i, the school staff employ a multi-tiered approach to support student attendance and engage families effectively.

Level 1 interventions focus on recognizing and rewarding students who demonstrate good or improved attendance. For students experiencing absenteeism, the school implements a tiered system from Levels 2 through 5, which intensifies support as absences increase.

Counselor Shana Bartolome emphasizes the importance of regular monitoring, reviewing attendance data at least twice monthly and maintaining detailed records. When a student accumulates five absences, the school issues a letter to the family. Upon reaching 10 absences, a formal letter from the family court judge is sent. At 15 absences, the school evaluates the need for an attendance meeting to discuss additional interventions. Continued absences may ultimately lead to the consideration of a court petition.

The school’s parent-teacher association helps to fund attendance incentive programs aligned with Level 1 interventions. Students who achieve perfect attendance for each quarter are invited to an ice cream party and have their names published in the school newsletter. Classes with the highest attendance rates are rewarded with pizza parties, with one class from grades K-2 and one from grades 4-6 recognized weekly in the school’s “Super Bee Buzz” videos.

Students who maintain perfect attendance throughout the entire school year are honored during the end-of-year assembly, where they receive certificates and medals in recognition of their achievement.

Attendance rates have shown consistent improvement since the 2021-22 school year, reaching 88% in the most recent Strive HI results. 

Kaelepulu Elementary 学校

At Ka‘elepulu Elementary School in Windward O‘ahu, attendance is a kākou effort. Thanks to initiatives like weekly class attendance awards, students can earn extra recess and schoolwide recognition for top attendance.

These celebrations are part of a broader effort to foster a strong sense of belonging and motivation through joyful learning, Project-Based Learning and Philosophy for Children to help students develop the self-motivation to attend school regularly.

Recognizing that each student’s situation is unique, Ka‘elepulu’s Response To Intervention team tailors support plans using the Hawai‘i Multi-Tiered System of Support and engages tools like Panorama to monitor progress. Interventions can include morning check-ins and home visits to break down attendance barriers.

“Attendance is an area where we sometimes feel powerless because it seems outside of our control whether a student comes to school or not. However, we have seen firsthand how we can work together to help families to improve attendance,” Principal Chanda Rowley said.

According to the latest Strive HI results, Ka‘elepulu’s regular attendance rate has surged from 84% in 2021-22 to 95% in 2024-25 — well above the current state average of 76%.

カノエラニ小学校 学校

At カノエラニ小学校, consistent student attendance is a shared commitment among staff, students and families. Thanks to the dedication of counselors Elaine Shibuya and Jan Salinthone, the school has seen a significant improvement in attendance, with the latest Strive HI results showing a 5-point gain from the previous year, reaching 81%.

Every Monday, students tune into the school’s live broadcast for a fun update on how everyone’s doing with attendance. It includes a recap of the previous week’s numbers and whether the school met its goals. Classrooms that hit 94% attendance for the week get the chance to hold the famous Attendance Trophy — a big deal on campus! Teacher Nicole Lee helps keep the excitement going by posting photos of the winning class on the school’s social media every week.

The school also rolls out fun incentives and prizes before and after long breaks — when attendance tends to dip — to help students stay on track. Parent meetings and reminder letters go out regularly and the student council even created a video to spread the word about why showing up matters. 

Students with perfect attendance receive awards and students can also earn points for daily attendance, which can be redeemed for prizes at the end-of-semester carnivals.

“I am really proud of all of our staff, who work to remind the students every day about the importance of attendance, and also our students, families and community, who respond and echo our message about how important attendance is for success,” Principal Neil Blomberg said. “I believe the positive school culture that students, staff and families contribute to Kanoelani’s campus really helps maximize attendance each day by making our school a positive place to learn each day.”

Waihe‘e Elementary School

The staff at Maui’s Waihe‘e Elementary School actively celebrate and support strong student attendance through a range of schoolwide, classroom, family and individual initiatives.

At the start of the year, parents and students sign an attendance pledge to reinforce the importance of consistent attendance. Families are provided with attendance trackers to monitor progress throughout the year, and positive attendance achievements are celebrated with shoutouts shared via phone calls, social media and school newsletters.

Classes that achieve 97% or higher attendance for the week earn the opportunity to spin the “Class Wheel” to earn fun, shared rewards of their choice, which include extra recess time, a dance party, classroom karaoke, and no homework for one night, to name a few. Eligible classes complete an Attendance Reward Incentive Form to participate. Students with perfect attendance have their names posted outside the classroom. Teachers also engage students with an attendance word challenge, where the class earns a letter for each day that everyone is present toward spelling out the word (for example, ATTENDANCE). Once the word is complete, the class earns a special reward.

Schoolwide incentives are also a big part of Waihe‘e Elementary’s attendance effort. Each week, grade levels compete for the highest attendance percentage, with the winning grade earning freshly popped popcorn or yard games. Daily recognition takes place in the cafeteria, where the administration announces the grade with the best attendance and updates progress on a visual chart. Additionally, the weekly morning broadcast features a brief message from administration highlighting the importance of attendance and recognizing students’ efforts.

Students also receive certificates for perfect attendance on a monthly and quarterly basis. Students experiencing absenteeism receive additional support, including monthly check-ins, personalized letters with handwritten notes sent home, and opportunities to earn prizes for maintaining two or fewer absences in a month.

“Through consistent celebrations, positive reinforcement, and strong family partnerships, we work to build a culture where every day counts,” Principal Paula Inouye said.

In the latest Strive HI results, Waihe‘e Elementary has seen considerable improvement each year in regular attendance, going from 37% in 2021-22 to 71% in 2024-25.