L'empreinte | More than half of New York City’s foster youth were chronically absent from school last year, in part because of frequent mid-year transfers and unreliable school bus service, according to a new report by the nonprofit Advocates for Children.

Attendance and graduation rates had improved over the past decade due to federal regulations et efforts by the city’s Administration for Children’s Services, with more students remaining in their “school of origin” after entering foster care.

But those gains have stalled since 2019, said Erika Palmer, one of the authors of the report released Monday.

The nonprofit Advocates for Children of New York analyzed data from New York City Public Schools during the 2024-25 school year. They found 55% of foster youth were chronically absent, and nearly 12% missed more than half the school year. By comparison, only 35% of students outside the foster care system were chronically absent.

“It’s painful to watch children miss weeks of class, be forced to leave familiar teachers and friends behind, or endure unnecessary changes in foster care placements simply because they have no way to get to school from their foster home,” Palmer, who leads the nonprofit’s Project Achieve, said in a press release. Project Achieve focuses on the educational needs of students in the foster system.