Seagoville High Chronic Absence Rate More Than Doubles Dallas ISD Average
New district data show elementary and middle school campuses far outperforming the high school on attendance.
By Staff Reports • Shop in Seagoville • September 1, 2026
Dallas ISD has rolled out new attendance incentives for the 2026 to 2027 school year. The program includes prize drawings, graduation recognition and scholarship opportunities.
For Seagoville families, the numbers show why attendance has become such a priority. But the problem is not spread evenly among local campuses.
At five of six primary Dallas ISD campuses serving Seagoville, chronic absenteeism sat below the districtwide average. At Seagoville High School, the rate was more than double the Dallas ISD average.
What Counts as Chronic Absence?
Chronic absence is different from a school’s overall attendance rate. A student is considered chronically absent after missing at least 10 percent of the school year.
In a school year of 180 days, that works out to about 18 days missed. That is roughly two days every month.
The measure counts missed instructional time whether the absence was excused or unexcused. It captures something broader than truancy alone.
| Missing 10 percent or more of the school year |
| About 18 days per year, roughly 2 days every month |
| Counts both excused and unexcused absences |
How Seagoville Campuses Compare
| School | Chronic Absence Rate | Compared With Dallas ISD |
|---|---|---|
| Seagoville High School | 44.6% | 23.2 points higher |
| Kleberg Elementary | 16.5% | 4.9 points lower |
| Seagoville Middle School | 16.2% | 5.2 points lower |
| Seagoville Elementary | 15.5% | 5.9 points lower |
| Seagoville North Elementary | 11.3% | 10.1 points lower |
| Central Elementary | 6.6% | 14.8 points lower |
| Dallas ISD Average | 21.4% | — |
| Texas Average | 19.0% | — |
The numbers tell two very different attendance stories. Elementary and middle school students in Seagoville generally beat the district average, while Seagoville High trails far behind.
Seagoville High Stands Apart
Seagoville High’s chronic absence rate was 23.2 percentage points above the Dallas ISD average. It was 25.6 points above the state rate.
The school’s overall attendance rate tells the same story. Seagoville High recorded an 86.9 percent attendance rate in the 2023 to 2024 school year, compared with 93.0 percent across Dallas ISD and 93.6 percent statewide.
The numbers do not explain why students miss school. Reasons can include illness, transportation, family responsibility, housing instability, disengagement and disciplinary removals.
Middle School Is Well Below the District Average
Seagoville Middle School tells a very different story. Its chronic absence rate was 16.2 percent, more than five percentage points below the Dallas ISD average.
The campus attendance rate was 94.3 percent, also higher than the district’s 93.0 percent.
That gap raises a question worth asking locally. What changes between middle school and high school that pushes chronic absence so much higher?
Elementary Campuses Perform Even Better
All four Seagoville elementary campuses scored below the Dallas ISD average. Central Elementary posted the strongest result, at less than a third of the district rate.
Chronic absenteeism is not spread evenly across the Seagoville feeder pattern. The challenge becomes dramatically more severe once students reach high school.
Dallas ISD Is Trying Incentives
Dallas ISD opened the 2026 to 2027 school year with a visible attendance campaign. Students with perfect attendance from Aug. 11 through Aug. 31 were entered into a prize drawing.
| September is promoted as Attendance Awareness Month across the district |
| Seniors with perfect attendance earn a special graduation cord and graduation program recognition |
| Perfect attendance seniors also qualify for the Superintendent’s Scholarship |
| Students in grades eight through 12 with a full perfect attendance record can earn additional campus recognition |
Dallas ISD defines perfect attendance strictly for that recognition. It allows no excused absences, unexcused absences or out of school suspensions.
Why Attendance Matters Beyond Grades
Missing school affects far more than a report card. Classroom lessons build on each other, and students who miss class repeatedly can fall behind quickly.
Attendance also carries financial weight for Texas districts. State funding is tied closely to average daily attendance rather than simple enrollment.
For high schoolers, chronic absence can also threaten credit accumulation, course completion and graduation. That makes Seagoville High’s numbers especially significant.
A 44.6 percent chronic absence rate does not mean nearly half of students are skipping school without permission. It means nearly half accumulated enough absences, for many possible reasons, to miss a tenth of the school year.
The Local Question Is Now at the High School
Central Elementary’s 6.6 percent rate is not evidence of a communitywide crisis. Neither is Seagoville North’s 11.3 percent or Seagoville Middle’s 16.2 percent.
Seagoville High’s 44.6 percent rate is different. It is the one local campus where chronic absence significantly outpaces both the district and the state.
The next question is not whether Seagoville students are missing too much school. It is why so many Seagoville High students are missing enough school to be classified as chronically absent, and what is being done to keep them in class.
Sourcing: Dallas ISD’s 2026 to 2027 attendance incentives, including the Aug. 11 through Aug. 31 perfect attendance drawing, senior graduation recognition and scholarship eligibility. Campus comparisons are drawn from Texas Education Agency and TAPR data for the 2023 to 2024 school year.
