This past school year KIPP Academy Nashville (KAN) and KIPP Antioch College Prep Middle School (KACP) made powerful strides in reducing chronic absenteeism, thanks to the dedication and heart of leaders who put students and families at the center of everything they do.
Norma Christón, KAN’s Office Manager, and Natasha Teal, KACP’s Director of Operations, took bold, people-first approaches that dramatically moved the attendance needle.
Their results speak volumes. During the 2024-2025 school year chronic absenteeism dropped from 24.6% last year to 8.4% at KAN, and at KACP, the numbers fell from 11% to 6.3%. These aren’t just stats—they represent students who are now in classrooms more consistently, families who feel more connected, and a school culture where every child feels seen and supported.
So how did they do it?
1. They got personal. Really personal.
For Christón, the work started by shifting the culture around attendance—making it about relationships instead of rules. “We’re not just collecting data. We’re building trust,” she says.
One of her first moves? Setting up a phone number where families could easily text updates about absences or delays. “Most of our parents don’t want to talk on the phone—they’re at work. But they’ll text. So that’s how I meet them where they are.”
Her daily routine includes texting frequent absentees, sending morning reminders, and even snapping screenshots of how many days students have missed to help families visualize the stakes. The result? Parents now text her before the school day event starts if they know their child may be absent or late. “They know I care. That’s what makes the difference.”
At KACP, Teal and her team took a similarly tailored approach. They developed custom scripts for each absence call that helped care givers see what that student would be missing if they were not in school.
Teal says when they started talking about the class materials or lessons, families began thinking about absenteeism differently.
“As soon as we started calling, we converted more than 35% of those students to come in that same day,” Teal says.
2. They tackled the “why” behind every absence.
At both schools, the focus wasn’t just on tracking who wasn’t there—it was about uncovering the why.
“Most of the time, it’s not the kids’ fault,” said Christón. “There are so many other factors at play. Parents are working, they don’t have transportation, there’s a family crisis. The kids want to be here. They just can’t.”
Rather than assigning blame, Christón helped families problem-solve. One student’s attendance improved after the school created a new bus stop closer to home.
At KACP, the team connected families so they could arrange a carpool, provided tutoring, afterschool programs, and even homebound services in some special cases if a student was ill.
“We take a whole-child approach,” Teal explains. “What do you need, and how can we help?
3. They made attendance a community effort.
From hallway scoreboards to weekly donut competitions, both schools brought visibility and celebration to showing up.
KACP homerooms compete each week for the highest attendance, and now the parents are so invested, they help supply the donuts. Teachers call out attendance successes and challenges during morning announcements.
“It’s become part of the school’s DNA,” says Teal. “Everyone’s speaking the same language about attendance.”
Christón agrees. “The reason why things are changing is how we treat our families. Every student who walks in late, I greet them by name and say, ‘I’m glad you’re here.’ After a while, they start to believe it.”
The Results
The data shows the power of these changes. During the 2024-2025 school year:
KIPP Academy Nashville
- Chronic absenteeism: 24.6% → 8.4%
- Average daily attendance: 92.3% → 95.4% (the highest in four years)
KIPP Antioch College Prep
- Chronic absenteeism: 11% → 6.3%
- Average daily attendance: 90.5% → 97.8%
These numbers represent more than just progress. They’re a testament to the belief that every student deserves to belong—and that when adults show up for families, families show up for school.
What’s Next
Both leaders are looking ahead with even more ambitious goals.
“Next year, we’re doubling down on early intervention,” says Teal. “Attendance reviews will start week one. We’re adding public displays of attendance data, buddy systems for at-risk students, and more family events.”
Christón puts it simply: “If you do what you’re supposed to do—with heart—the data will show it.”
Their stories remind us that when schools lead with care, results follow. And most importantly, students win.
