An estimated 10.8 million U.S. public-school students—about one in every five K-12 pupils—were chronically absent during the 2024-25 academic year, according to newly released federal figures. The designation applies to children who miss at least 10 percent of the school calendar and underscores how attendance has not returned to pre-pandemic norms five years after COVID-19 disruptions. Georgia illustrates the depth of the problem. State officials say the share of chronically absent students has doubled since 2019, leaving roughly 360,000 children out of classrooms for 18 days or more. A bipartisan Senate study panel, led by Republican Sen. John F. Kennedy, has begun hearings on the “quiet crisis,” taking testimony that links missed days to lower literacy rates, higher dropout risks and poorer long-term health outcomes. Educators nationwide report similar patterns. Middle-school attendance remains worse than before 2020, and teachers cite lingering struggles with readjusting to in-person learning, unmet basic needs and family hardships that intensified during the pandemic. Some students who disengage are turning up in disciplinary systems, administrators warn. Districts are trying a mix of incentives and support services, from hiring more social workers and nurses to expanding after-school programs. Even so, staffing shortfalls compound the challenge: San Francisco’s public schools, for example, began the term with 95 percent of classrooms covered but still had about 50 vacancies. With 54.1 million students and 5.7 million teachers heading back to school this month, officials say curbing absenteeism is essential to closing pandemic-era learning gaps and safeguarding graduation and earnings prospects for the current generation.