Greece Central School District^↗ET lost some of its attendance gains in 2024-25. Its elementary/middle chronic absenteeism rate rose from 14.1% to 16.0%, while its high school rate rose from 22.2% to 24.8%. Those were increases of 1.9 and 2.6 percentage points in the most recent published attendance data.

The district remained below its pandemic-era peaks at both levels. But the latest figures no longer support a story of uninterrupted recovery toward its pre-pandemic attendance rates.

Improvement followed by a reversal

Greece's elementary/middle rate reached 32.2% in 2021-22, its highest level in the available series. By 2024-25, it was 16.2 points below that peak. The high school rate peaked at 39.7% in 2021-22 and was 14.9 points lower in 2024-25.

Those are substantial reductions. The most recent annual increases do not erase them. They do mean that the progress through 2023-24 was followed by a setback, rather than another step toward earlier attendance levels.

In 2018-19, Greece's published elementary/middle rate was 13.0% and its high school rate was 21.1%. The latest rates were 3.0 and 3.7 points above those baselines, respectively. Neither level had returned to its pre-pandemic rate.

Keep the two reporting groups separate

NYSED publishes elementary/middle and high school chronic absenteeism separately. Its reporting guide explains the separate measures. This comparison uses those published rates directly, rather than presenting a combined rate as if the state had published it for the whole district.

The figures also describe different annual populations. A lower rate after the peak does not establish that the same individual students returned to regular attendance. Changes in who was enrolled can affect the comparison alongside changes in attendance.

There is no comparable 2019-20 observation in this series. The chart leaves that year open rather than connecting an uninterrupted annual trend through it.

A different pattern in Rochester

The latest figures for Rochester City School District^↗ET show a different split: elementary/middle chronic absenteeism fell from 59.2% in 2023-24 to 57.7% in 2024-25, while high school absenteeism rose from 70.2% to 71.5%.

Greece's latest rates were lower at both levels. That comparison establishes the size and direction of the attendance difference; it does not explain it. The attendance files do not identify which programs, household circumstances or other conditions produced either district's results.

Greece's earlier gains remain visible, but the latest release adds a warning to the recovery story. Both school levels moved away from their pre-pandemic baselines in 2024-25. The next release will show whether that reversal persisted; the existing figures cannot forecast it.

Detailed code that reproduces the analysis and figures in this article is available exclusively to EdTribune subscribers.