Truancy Reduction in Henrico County
2013 NACo Achievement Award Winner
Henrico County, Va., VA
Best In Category
About the Program
Category: Children and Youth (Best in Category)
Year: 2013
Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS) offers a wide variety of educational programs dedicated to developing outstanding citizens. However, the success of those programs is dependent upon students accessing them. The primary measure of that access is our division’s truancy rate. Students who are habitually absent are at increased risk for failure and potential drop out, which greatly limits their opportunities to be successful and contributing citizens. In response to an in-depth review of our truancy data, the school division developed a radical new approach to resource assignment and truancy prevention. Already, we have seen significant reductions in truancy rates across the division.