The number of chronically absent students is up at Tennessee public schools — according to the Tennessee Department of Education, during the 2021/2022 school year, the absent rate was 20.3 percent. Chronic absenteeism becomes a label when a student misses 10 percent or more days of school. With a new school year comes a push from local administrators to ensure students are showing up to class.Educators say attendance begins in kindergarten and missing school at that point has a trickle down effect.