This story was first published at Colorado Chalkbeat.

DENVER | Colorado education officials relayed some bad news Wednesday: The percentage of students who were chronically absent last school year increased, while attendance stayed nearly flat.

Both Aurora school districts saw small decreases in the rate of chronically absent students, according to state records.

A student is chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of their school days. The more school students miss, the more likely they are to fall behind in their academics.

More than 1 in 4 Colorado students, or 28.4%, were chronically absent in the 2024-25 school year, according to data released Wednesday by the Colorado Department of Education. That’s up from 27.7% in 2023-24. Chronic absenteeism rates had been falling since a

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