Dysart Attendance Matters Campaign Culminates with Celebration for Winning School

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 05/05/2025

DYSART SCHOOLS - With improving student attendance as a top priority, Dysart Unified School District conducted a districtwide “Attendance Matters” campaign the past two years. The campaign incorporates friendly competition among schools through an attendance contest, as well as regular messaging about the importance of school attendance.  The 2024-2025 campaign culminated with Freedom Traditional Academy’s contest win, and a celebratory field day on May 1 and May 2 with special treats donated by Toyota of Surprise, and giveaways to reward the students for their hard work. 

The attendance contest started in September, with two schools competing against each other each week. Schools planned their own activities for their competition to encourage student attendance, with many hosting spirit days, and contests between grade levels or classes. Weekly winners were determined by the highest percentage increase of each school's attendance rate for the week of the contest compared to each school's rate the week prior, so the focus was for each school to improve their own rate the most. After the regular matchups, the top schools entered the “Attendance Matters” Madness playoff period that mirrors the annual “March Madness” college basketball event. The playoffs began with a Sweet 16 tournament with the top 16 schools, then Elite 8, Final 4, and finally it ended with the Championship and one school as the overall district champion. In 2023-2024, Marley Park Elementary School took the win, and this year it was Freedom Traditional Academy. Special thanks goes to Toyota of Surprise for donating ice cream for the winning school, as well as Fat Cats, Nothing Bundt Cakes, and Elevate Trampoline Park for donating student incentives.  

Since launching the attendance campaign, Dysart’s overall annual district attendance rate increased by 0.8%, from 91.49% in 2022-2023 to 92.29% in 2023-2024. When looking at individual school attendance rates for 2023-2024, 20 out of 24 schools saw an increase in their attendance rate from the previous year, and 7 schools saw increases between one and two percentage points. Results for 2024-2025 will be compiled after the school year ends. 

Additional efforts within Dysart to tackle attendance include working closely with parents, sending them automated absence notifications, tardy notices, and absence accrual messages when students reach certain absence thresholds (5, 10, 15, 18 absences). Dysart schools work with students and parents on appeals and attendance contracts to further address the issue, and provide before and after school support for absent and tardy students to help keep them on track. 

Anyone interested in donating to support the upcoming Dysart attendance campaign can email publicrelations@dysart.org or call 623-876-7196.