06/02/2026
Great news!
As Union continues to emphasize the importance of regular attendance, our elementary schools are seeing some gains. Average daily attendance increased by 2.64 percent at Union elementary schools in 2025-26 compared with the previous year. Average daily attendance was 93.38 percent.
“This is a significant win for us, as our principals and teachers continue to work and focus on attendance issues,” said Executive Director of Elementary Theresa Kiger. “The largest decreases in chronic absenteeism have been at Cedar Ridge Elementary, down 4.2 percent, and Clark Elementary, a 3.5 percent decrease. We are proud of the work being done in this area.”
As Community Schools, Union elementaries offer free before- and after-school programming that has a positive impact academically and reduces absenteeism. Of the more than 3,500 elementary students who participated in free programming this past year:
--73 percent of students were on track in English language arts compared to 58 percent of those who do not participate in out-of-school activities.
--66 percent of students were on track in math compared to 51 percent who don’t participate.
--Chronic absenteeism is significantly lower – 14 percent among out-of-school participants – compared with 23 percent among those who don’t participate.
Union’s out-of-school programs included 177 STEM, 89 academic, 113 health and wellness, 88 youth development and leadership and 76 fine arts programs.
