Attendance Matters

“Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow”

Attending school regularly is essential to students gaining the academic and social skills they need to succeed. The Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) is embarking on a community-wide campaign to boost student attendance. Our Attendance Matters initiative - Attend Today, Achieve Tomorrow - aims to prioritize attendance and help students, families, and the entire community understand why attendance is so important for success in school and life. 

We realize some absences are unavoidable due to health problems or other circumstances. But, we also know that when students miss too much school— regardless of the reason – it can cause them to fall behind academically. Student are less likely to succeed if they are chronically absent—which means missing 10% or more of possible attendance dates (about 2 days per month) over the course of an entire school year. 

• A student may be excused from school for the following reasons: physical or mental condition, obtaining religious instruction, permission of parent or guardian, religious holiday, suspension/expulsion, program or curriculum modification, high school equivalency, child at risk, open hours that fall under Junior/Senior privilege criteria, election day official, quarantine, illness of an immediate family member, and/or emergency. 
• A student may be excused in writing or phone call by the parent/guardian prior to the absence occurring. In accordance with state law, 118.15(3)(c), a parent/guardian can’t exceed 10 days of 

The OASD's Attendance Matters campaign promotes the importance of school attendance by providing resources to schools, families, and the community. The ultimate goal of the campaign is to establish a culture of school attendance that leads to higher attendance rates with fewer students being identified as chronically absent.  

Bookmark this page and check back regularly for the latest updates and resources! The resources provided will target the specific needs in each of these areas.  The District believes that an awareness of absenteeism and its potential impact will empower students, families, and community partners to make informed decisions regarding missing school.