Leverage Your School Calendar to Support Attendance Goals

Consider these six tips from this recent article in Education Week as you craft your 2026-27 calendar in support of your attendance and achievement goals. Please note the link to the Attendance Works planning calendars in #6 that you might find especially helpful.

1. Consider adding more long weekends — Adding a four-day “mini break” in slower parts of the year allows families to schedule appointments, trips, and other events without missing instructional days.
2. Be mindful of holidays — and the days before and after — Give days off when high absences are likely (e.g., the Friday before a holiday) and align calendars with the cultural and religious makeup of the community to avoid predictable absences.
3. Use staff-development days strategically — Schedule teacher workdays at times when student attendance might naturally dip (like right after a holiday or event) to avoid losing instructional time.
4. Consider “no testing” days — Some districts designate days where tests or major assignments aren’t scheduled, especially around big events like homecoming, to respect engagement patterns and reduce stress-related absences.
5. Get creative to encourage attendance — Add activities like spirit days, assemblies, and fun traditions on historically low-attendance days so students have extra reasons to show up.
6. Design attendance messaging around the calendar — Use planning calendars to align communication with seasonal attendance challenges, like flu season or transitions to new grades.