Kent County Middle School reported a 97% attendance rate for the 2025-26 academic year, the highest in the school system here. Kent County Public Schools reported a nearly 2% increase in its overall average attendance rate.

Kent County Public Schools put forth a concentrated effort to boost attendance this year and the work yielded positive results.

The final numbers for the 2025-26 school year show Kent County Public Schools averaged an attendance rate of 94.1% system wide. That is an increase of 1.82% from the previous year.

Kent County Middle School boasted the top attendance rate for the school system with 97%.

The overall average also meets the state expectation for student attendance, which Kent County Public Schools has previously fell short of.

"It was the first time in a number of years that we as a whole have met that state expectation, so that was positive news," Superintendent Dr. Mary Boswell-McComas reported to the Kent County Board of Education July 13.

Every school here is a designated Community School under the state's Blueprint for Maryland's Future initiative.

Dr. McComas credited each school's attendance gains to their adoption of the Community School model. She said all five schools' Community School plans include a focus on improving attendance rates and decreasing chronic absenteeism.

"Each school has very intentionally developed attendance incentive programs and they are yielding results," Dr. McComas said.

She highlighted the work of the Community School specialists in each building, saying they are reaching out to families when attendance issues arise.

The Community School specialists find out what barriers and challenges families are facing and determining how the school can leverage supports for them.

"Evidence is emerging stronger every year that where Community Schools go in, attendance and academics improve, and behaviors improve as well," Dr. McComas said.

Learn more about Kent County Public Schools at https://www.kent.k12.md.us.