Walnut Creek School Districts' Truancy Rate Below State Average

Less than a fifth of Walnut Creek School District students were reported as truant during the past school year, according to information released by the state superintendent's office.

The district's truancy rate of just under 18 percent is well below the state average as well as the county average.

Truancy is defined as any student who misses 30 minutes or more of class time without a valid excuse at least three times in one school year.

The district's truancy rates ranged from a high of 21.7 percent at Walnut Heights to a low of 13.8 percent at Buena Vista.

Superintendent Patricia Wool said many of the truancies are absences that parents are aware of but do not fall under the "excused absence" category. These can include vacations or long weekends.

Wool said the district's daily attendance average is 97 percent, meaning students miss on average slightly more than five days a year.

She noted the district works closely with parents to stress the importance of attendance. When students are absent they miss instruction time.

It also can cost the district money. Every 1 percent drop in average daily attendance costs the district $170,000 a year in state ADA funds.

Las Lomas High has a truancy rate of 26.8 percent. That's the highest of the four high schools in the Acalanes district.

The truancy rates for schools in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District are listed in this story.

Below is a table from data gleaned from the state superintendent's website. You can view data on suspensions, expulsions and truancy for each individual school by clicking here.