By Dr. Heather Contreras, Superintendent, Pajaro Valley Unified School District
With the 2025-26 school year in progress, Pajaro Valley Unified School District is redoubling efforts to focus on one of the most important predictors of student success: showing up to school every day.
Heather Contreras
Attendance matters—not just for academic achievement, but for building habits of responsibility, connection, and perseverance.
And this is not work schools can do alone. Each one of us—families, neighbors, businesses, and community partners—can make a meaningful difference by supporting students to be present, engaged, and ready to learn.
Why Attendance Matters Now More Than Ever
The challenges are real. Since the pandemic, chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year—has doubled nationwide. Chronically absent students are seven times more likely to drop out of high school. Missing just two days a month adds up to nearly a month of lost learning each year.
These patterns begin early: children who are not reading proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school without graduating.
This is not just a challenge for individual students. New research shows that high rates of absence affect the entire learning environment. Every day in school is a chance to grow, connect, and build skills for the future. When students attend regularly, they benefit from uninterrupted learning, and teachers have more opportunities to provide extra support and enrichment.
This consistency creates confidence for students and ensures classrooms are places where all learners thrive together.
A Student-Led Movement: “Attend Today. Achieve Tomorrow”
This year, PVUSD launched a new campaign: Attend Today. Achieve Tomorrow. What makes this campaign unique is that it was created and chosen by students themselves. Middle and high school students submitted slogans and artwork, and our Superintendent’s Student Advisory Team—forty high school leaders from across the district—selected the winning phrase. We are especially proud that the slogan came from Aaliyah Garcia, an eighth grader at Cesar Chavez Middle School. Her words capture the spirit of determination and hope that we want every student to embrace.
When students lead the message, they become powerful ambassadors to their peers. Already, we are seeing renewed energy and awareness across our schools. Students are talking with one another about the importance of showing up, and families are seeing reminders on yard signs, posters, and school communications. This campaign is more than a slogan—it is a movement built by and for our young people.
Everyone Has a Role to Play
Improving attendance is not something schools can do alone. It requires the full strength of families and the broader community. Our goal is for every student to feel that school is a place where they belong and every family to feel supported in making regular attendance possible.
Here’s how we can all contribute:
- Families can prioritize communication with schools, participate in back-to-school nights, and let schools know about barriers that may prevent attendance. Together, we can problem-solve around transportation, health, or other challenges.
- Community partners — local businesses, nonprofits, and civic organizations — can help spread the word, post campaign signs, and recognize students with strong attendance. Employers can support parents in managing schedules so children can get to school consistently.
- Friends and neighbors can check in with students, offer encouragement, or even help with rides. Small gestures of care can make a big difference in helping families feel supported.
- All community members can embrace schools as hubs of connection. Attending school performances, cheering at games, or volunteering at events helps send the message that education is valued and that students are surrounded by a caring community.
Moving Forward Together
Thanks to the dedication of staff, families, and students, PVUSD has already made progress. Schools are piloting new outreach strategies, expanding family engagement, and providing resources to help students overcome barriers to showing up. These efforts are making a difference, but our work must continue.
When our students attend today, they truly achieve tomorrow. By showing up for our students—whether as parents, educators, friends, neighbors, or community leaders—we show up for the future of Pajaro Valley. Together, we can build a culture where every student belongs, every family feels supported, and every day in school strengthens the foundation for success.
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Dr. Heather Contreras is the superintendent of the Pajaro Valley Unified School District.