Excused Absences

Excused Absences

What Are Excused Absences?

Excused absences are school absences that are recognized by the district or state as valid and justifiable. When a student is marked absent for an approved reason—such as illness, a medical appointment, or a family emergency—that absence is logged as "excused" and typically doesn’t count against the student in truancy or disciplinary calculations.

The criteria for what counts as excused is defined by state law and local district policy, but most districts follow similar guidelines.

Why It Matters

Understanding excused absences is critical for families, educators, and administrators. While excused absences don’t trigger truancy notices, they can still contribute to chronic absenteeism if they accumulate.

Districts must strike a balance between honoring legitimate reasons for absence and encouraging consistent school attendance. Knowing what qualifies helps:

• Keep families informed
• Avoid accidental truancy
• Support equitable attendance policies

How Schools Use This Term in Practice

When a student is absent, schools typically require a note from a parent or guardian and sometimes additional documentation (like a doctor’s note) to verify that the absence is excused. The absence is then categorized in the Student Information System (SIS) and impacts:

• Whether a truancy notification is triggered
• ADA (Average Daily Attendance) and funding metrics
• Intervention decisions and thresholds

For example, a student with 7 excused absences may not be considered truant but could still be flagged for chronic absenteeism if the district defines it as 10% of days missed—regardless of the reason.

Common Examples of Excused Absences

While policies vary by state and district, here’s a list of commonly excused absences across the U.S.:

• Student illness or injury
• Medical, dental, or mental health appointments
• Death or funeral of an immediate family member
• Court appearances or legal obligations
• Religious holidays or observances
• Quarantine due to contagious illness (e.g., COVID-19)
• Verified family emergencies
• School-approved extracurricular events or field trips
• College visits (typically with documentation and limits)
• Counseling or behavioral health services
• Deployment-related absences for military families (in some states)

Many districts also allow for mental health days as excused absences, especially in states like California, Illinois, and Oregon that have passed supporting legislation.

What’s the Difference Between Excused and Unexcused Absences?

While both are types of absences, the key difference is how they are treated in school policies and compliance reporting.

• Excused absences are approved by the school for valid reasons and do not count toward truancy.
• Unexcused absences are not approved and can lead to truancy notifications, interventions, or SARB referrals.

It’s important to note: even though excused absences may not result in disciplinary action, they still count toward chronic absenteeism totals in most states.

Related Terms and Concepts

• Unexcused Absences – Absences without an approved reason or documentation
• Chronic Absenteeism – Includes both excused and unexcused absences
• Truancy – Only triggered by unexcused absences
• ADA (Average Daily Attendance) – Affected by all absences, regardless of whether they’re excused
• Parent Notes vs. Official Documentation – Determines whether absences are verified as excused

Example Scenario

A high school student in Oakland USD is out for two days with a cold. Their parent calls in and submits a signed note. The school marks the absences as excused. Later that month, the student misses three more days for dental and therapy appointments. All are excused and don’t count toward truancy, but since the student has now missed five days, they’re flagged by the district’s attendance dashboard for a check-in under chronic absenteeism protocols.

How Excused Absences Impact Districts

While excused absences don’t carry the same legal consequences as unexcused ones, they still:

• Lower ADA and reduce funding
• Contribute to chronic absenteeism rates
• Affect school accountability metrics
• Trigger interventions when thresholds are reached

Districts must track excused absences carefully to stay in compliance and support students at risk of disengagement—even if families are following the rules.

How Are Schools Across the U.S. Addressing Excused Absences?

Districts are improving how they handle excused absences in several ways:

1. Clear Communication
Districts are updating their attendance policies and parent handbooks with plain-language definitions of what qualifies as excused.

2. Simplified Reporting
Many schools now accept digital parent notes or allow documentation uploads through portals, streamlining the verification process.

3. Mental Health Policy Updates
In response to increased student mental health needs, some districts have expanded what qualifies as excused, aligning with new state legislation.

4. Monitoring Chronic Absenteeism
Districts are using attendance software to track excused absences alongside unexcused to avoid missing students who are quietly disengaging.

5. Early Intervention for Excessive Excused Absences
Rather than waiting for truancy flags, some districts now intervene when a student has repeated excused absences, especially when tied to illness, anxiety, or housing instability.

How Nudge Helps

Nudge gives school teams the tools to monitor excused absences and intervene early — without overwhelming staff.

With Nudge, districts can:

• Track trends in excused vs. unexcused absences
• Flag students who are approaching chronic absenteeism thresholds
• Send automated, personalized communications to families
• Log and assign interventions based on attendance patterns
• Provide a centralized view of attendance reasons across campuses

Because even when absences are excused, students still miss out — and that matters.

Want to Stay Ahead of Chronic Absenteeism?

See how Nudge helps districts track attendance patterns and support students earlier — no matter the reason they’re missing school.