Liverpool, N.Y. -- A year ago, Liverpool High School officials were staring at a frustrating problem common among school districts: Far too few students were coming to class.

Then, nearly one-third of Liverpool’s high school students were chronically absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of school days throughout the year.

So in the fall of 2024, the district tried something new. It offered $5 Dunkin’ gift cards to every student who came to school on a scheduled half-day. In the past, just 80% of kids showed up on that day. With the doughnut and coffee temptation, the attendance rate jumped to almost 90%.

That giveaway was part of a larger effort to make “Every Day Count.” And the district kept it going, handing out kudos to more kids who came to school as the year went on. They got

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