Compounded Disadvantage: Intersectional Inequities in Chronic Absenteeism Prevalence and Recovery During the COVID-19 Era

July 2026

This study applies an intersectional lens to examine how chronic absenteeism evolved across intersecting dimensions of race, gender, economic disadvantage, disability status, and housing instability before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic using statewide, administrative data from Georgia. Consistent with national evidence, chronic absenteeism roughly doubled from prepandemic levels and has remained elevated through 2023. Critically, pandemic-era increases and subsequent recovery were deeply uneven. Black and Hispanic students, particularly females, and students experiencing homelessness remained substantially above pre-pandemic baselines in 2023 while White students recovered at substantially higher rates. Findings challenge aggregate recovery narratives and underscore that post-pandemic attendance recovery has been stratified in ways that reflect the unequal distribution of structural barriers to consistent school attendance.

Keywords

chronic absenteeism; attendance; intersectionality theory; COVID-19 pandemic

Education level

K-12 Education

Topics

Student Learning