Detroit school district offers students weekly incentives for perfect attendance

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The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) announced the expansion of its "Perfect Attendance Pays" initiative for the 2026-27 school year, offering $100 per qualifying five-day cycle to high-school students and $50 to students in grades 6-8. This program was triggered by persistent chronic absenteeism, which affected 60.9% of district students during the 2024-25 school year. The district allocated the incentive within its $1.1 billion budget, supplementing the financial rewards with investments in transportation and additional attendance staff to address the ongoing classroom attendance crisis.

Consequences

By extending the incentive to middle-school students, the district aims to establish consistent attendance habits earlier to prevent long-term academic regression. Given that high-school chronic absenteeism previously declined from 64% in 2023-24 to 54% by April 2026, the continued investment suggests an expectation of further improvements in classroom participation rates.

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