Social work students help curb chronic absenteeism in Las Cruces

Chronic absenteeism in public schools across the United States reached alarming heights during the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 31% during the 2021-2022 school year.

But in New Mexico, the rate of chronic absenteeism far outpaced the national average, according to state and federal school data. Between 2019 and 2023, the rate of chronically absent students in New Mexico spiked by 119% – the largest increase in the nation. In 2023 alone, more than more than 124,000 New Mexico students missed 18 or more school days.

The effects of chronic absenteeism are detrimental to students and classrooms.

In 2023, chronically absent students in New Mexico were 13% to 14% less likely to be proficient in English, math and science than their non-chronically absent peers, according to a 2024 report from the Legislative Finance Committee. That same year, a 10% increase in chronic absenteeism in the state’s third, fourth and fifth grades led to a 5% decrease in overall class proficiency. 

In Las Cruces, public school officials have successfully curbed chronic absenteeism through a program partially staffed with NMSU social work students. 

The partnership between NMSU’s School of Social Work and the Las Cruces Public Schools started in 2021 under the Attendance for Success program and has since yielded mutually beneficial results. It gives social work students a paid professional job experience and allows them to earn practicum credits and sharpen their interpersonal skills. More significantly, it has helped LCPS make strides in improving overall attendance rates. 

“I know there have been some incredible milestones that the district has reached,” says Maribel Tellez, practicum director for the School of Social Work. “Our LCPS partners have been so impressed by our student work and the success that they’ve had that they’re planning to take the program around the state and implement it in other school districts.” 

In its first year, the program employed four NMSU students. Every year since then, LCPS has hired about two dozen NMSU students to support the program. Their primary duties include analyzing and monitoring daily attendance data and working directly with families and students to identify root causes of chronic absences.

“Their basic goal is increasing attendance and getting students back into the classroom,” she says. “Our students are the boots on the ground, contacting families, meeting with students, and discussing the barriers and challenges of attending school.”

A key part of the program involves mentorship. NMSU students facilitate mentorship groups for select students at 16 elementary schools, five middle schools and five high schools. The groups engage in various enrichment activities based on Kenneth Ginsburg’s “The Seven C’s: The Essential Building Blocks of Resilience.” 

During the 2024-2025 school year, 82% of LCPS students who participated in a mentorship group increased their overall attendance, and 77% improved their academic performance. LCPS ended the school year with chronic absenteeism rate of 29%.