At 91 Hawaii schools, more than one-fifth of students were "chronically absent" last school year, according to new figures that highlight the scope of the attendance problem on many campuses.

Topping the list of schools with high chronic absenteeism rates was Waianae High, where 815 students — or 48 percent of the school’s population —missed 15 days or more over the course of the 180-day school year.

Waianae Intermediate had the second-highest chronic absenteeism rate, with 41 percent of students fitting the definition, followed by Makaha Elementary, where 40 percent were absent 15 or more days.

Altogether, more than 31,000 students statewide were chronically absent. That’s about 18 percent of all public school students.

Ronn Nozoe, deputy superintendent at the Department of Education, said the chronic absenteeism figures at some schools are "quite shocking," but added that it isn’t a surprise that a number of campuses are facing attendance issues.

Nozoe said that while the most important variable for student achievement continues to be the effectiveness of teachers and principals, student attendance is a measure that should be regularly monitored. A growing body of research shows chronic absenteeism can be a strong predictor of poor student performance.

"The bottom line is the kids need to be in school," he said.

The new statistics come amid increased attention at the DOE to absenteeism: The department has proposed including chronic absenteeism among measures for rating elementary schools in a new accountability system, and has debuted an "early warning" system that uses chronic absenteeism as an indicator to identify students in need of intensive interventions.

The department’s new strategic plan also directs schools to put more focus on attendance. Ensuring that students are "attending regularly" — defined as missing fewer than nine days of school — is among the key goals of the plan, which is still being finalized.

Brian De Lima, Board of Education vice chairman, who has urged the DOE to address attendance concerns, said the new numbers are alarming.

"Everybody agrees that this has got to be a problem that’s addressed," he said.

This is the first time the department has released chronic absenteeism figures for a full school year. The statistics, which include both excused and unexcused absences, show:

» 20 percent or more of students at 26 high schools or multilevel schools with high school grades were chronically absent.

» 51 elementary schools have chronic absenteeism rates of 20 percent or more.

» Overall, chronic absenteeism was lowest among middle schools. The highest rate at that level was at Waianae Intermediate.

» Momilani Elementary had the lowest rate in the state, with 3 percent (or 13 of 430 students) missing 15 or more days. Mililani Ike wasn’t far behind at just 4 percent.

While tracking chronic absenteeism rates may be new for Hawaii public schools, tackling attendance is not. And while some schools have been making gains, there is also some frustration among administrators, who say they alone can’t improve attendance.

Kaimuki High Principal Wade Araki said the school continues to address the problem, but has hit some big barriers. Some students, he said, ignore the message and some families don’t seem to emphasize the importance of coming to school regularly.

"It’s to the point of, what do we do short of throwing the kid in the car? Where do we go from here?" he said. "We try to work with them, but … even if we chase and find them, what is our hammer to get them to school? Unfortunately, we have none."

The DOE can pursue educational neglect or truancy petitions, but rarely does so.

Kaimuki High School last school year instituted detentions and in-school suspensions for unexcused absences, and dialed up interventions for students missing too much school.

The school’s attendance clerk, who was brought up to full time from part time, worked with counselors and administrators to identify kids who were chronically absent. The school also hired retired Principal Richard Matsumoto to help get more seniors to graduation day. Chronic absenteeism was among the issues Matsumoto addressed with seniors, along with poor grades.

By the end of the school year, Kaimuki was able to pull up its graduation rate and improve attendance, Araki said.

But the school still has work to do. Last school year, about 25 percent of students at Kaimuki High were absent 15 days or more.

"I wish I had the magic wand, but I don’t," Araki said.

Administrators also pointed out that some issues that foster poor attendance are beyond a child’s control — or at least require a little understanding.

Charles Naumu, principal of Anuenue School in Palolo, said many of his students live well outside the district. Bad weather, bad traffic or a bad morning can all derail a morning commute. Students coming from Waianae must catch a bus at 5:30 a.m., he said, and if they miss it, they’re stuck.

About 36 percent of students at his school were chronically absent last school year. The K-12 Hawaiian-language immersion school has about 365 students.

At Kohala High on Hawaii island, 38 percent of students were chronically absent in the 2011-12 school year.

Principal Janette Snelling said the school is trying to improve partnerships with parents and reinforce good attendance.

Snelling noted some students may have perfectly good reasons for missing school: prolonged illness or a family emergency.

But officials also acknowledge that those types of students are probably a small minority at most schools, and say that regardless of the reason, chronic absenteeism should be a concern.

"When a child misses one day of school, it’s almost like five days of schoolwork they’ve missed. They’ve missed opportunities to learn from peers," said Ofelia Reed, former principal at Pope Elementary who recently was named principal of Iroquois Point Elementary.

Reed said when she was at Pope, she continously struggled to address absenteeism. About 83 — or 35 percent — of the 237 students at the Waimanalo campus missed 15 or more days last school year. Still, the school was able to again see high reading and math proficiency scores: About 85 percent of tested students at the school were proficient in reading and 70 percent were proficient in math.

Reed said children miss school for a slew of reasons,from transportation problems to illness to just not wanting to come. The school, she said, kept up regular communication with parents of children who were absent, but didn’t always see positive results.

"We send out notices. We have parent conferences," she said. "But it’s only as effective as the follow-through from the parent."

At Kaimuki High, Vice Principal Kevin Yuen said it took a team to begin addressing the problem. Yuen tracks attendance monthly, and plots the results on a large whiteboard in his office, alongside statistics on the number of seniors on track to graduate.

Matsumoto, the senior liaison at Kaimuki, said students have myriad excuses for absences. Some just want to skip. But others have family obligations and tough circumstances.

"I have kids who tell me, ‘I’ve gotta work at this job,’" he said.

In addition to more interventions — and more tough love — Kaimuki High has developed programs aimed at helping students who are struggling all around.

Leslie Harada, a teacher in Kaimuki High’s Imua program, geared toward students who must make up credits, said absenteeism is among factors that lead to students failing classes, and sometimes dropping out. But she said intensive programs like Imua can help.

"It’s time-consuming, it’s mothering," she said. But it’s worth it, she added, especially "when you get the kid who was hanging out at the park to get to class everyday."

Taylor Nicolas, a sophomore in the Imua program, transferred to Kaimuki from Nanakuli High at the start of this school year, after failing all but one of her classes in her freshman year. She said she rarely went to class.

But the 15-year-old is doing better this year. She’s getting B’s and C’s, and is making up credits with Saturday classes. These days, "it’s better," she said. "I just come to school every day."

<Public School Attendance Report 2011 to 2012 school year