Missing Students in School Number to Hundreds of Thousands Due to COVID-19

COVID-19 Thousands of students disappear from schools schools

By E.Baloyo , Parent Herald Feb 10, 07:32 am

Photo: (Photo : Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

COVID-19 caused thousands of missing students in schools in America, as shown by recent research.

A plethora of students just disappeared from the education system, and they are nowhere to be found - not in public schools, not in private institutions, and they are also not registered for homeschooling.

Thousands of missing students from schools

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for students, families, and educators alike.

One of the most pressing issues arising from the pandemic is the dramatic increase in students who are missing from the education system.

According to the Associated Press, enrollment in public schools in 21 states and Washington, D.C., declined by 710,000 students between the academic years 2019-2020 and 2021-2022.

On the other hand, private school enrollment increased by more than 100,000 students, and homeschooling saw a rise of over 180,000.

However, the data revealed that 240,000 students were not registered in private schools or for home-schooling, and their absence could not be attributed to factors such as decreasing birth rates or families moving out of state.

In addition, California alone had a missing student count of over 150,000, and New York had nearly 60,000.

In states where kindergarten is not mandatory, the number of unaccounted-for students was higher, suggesting that many young learners are being kept at home instead of starting school.

According to the Washington Post, it is believed that the actual number of missing students is much higher.

Furthermore, the AP and Stanford conducted a similar analysis for pre-pandemic years in California and New York, which showed almost no missing students, indicating that something unusual happened during the pandemic.

COVID-19 Impact: the reason why students are missing

This phenomenon can be attributed to several factors, including fear of the virus, homelessness, financial hardship, and migration.

The fear of COVID-19 has caused many families to choose distance learning or homeschooling or to keep their children from attending in-person classes, even as schools begin to reopen.

This can lead to students falling behind in their studies, particularly those who may already be struggling academically.

Homelessness and financial hardships can also make it difficult for students to attend school regularly and engage in their studies.

These students are often forced to focus on meeting their basic needs rather than getting an education, which can significantly impact their future success.

Furthermore, some students may have had to leave the country with their families due to economic or political reasons.

This can result in a disrupted education and missed opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.

The prolonged period of online learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected some students' academic and developmental progress, decreasing their ability to behave and learn in a school environment.

Although these students may still be officially enrolled in school, they are largely absent from class, making it difficult to determine how thousands of students disappear from schools accurately.

However, as the Seattle Times puts it, it is important to note that this issue did not arise suddenly, as many students were already struggling before the pandemic.

The pandemic only exacerbated existing difficulties, causing many students to fall further behind.