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Proportional Attendance Rate (PAR aka 90/90)

Missouri’s Proportional Attendance Rate (PAR)

  • Missouri uses a measure called Proportional Attendance Rate (PAR), which tracks the percentage of students who attend school 90% of the time or more (i.e., missing no more than about 10% of school days). 
  • The state sets an expectation (sometimes called the 90/90 goal) that 90% of students should reach that 90% attendance threshold. 
  • In recent years, Missouri’s average PAR has dropped compared to pre-pandemic levels. In 2024, the statewide PAR was reported to be approximately 78.2%, indicating that about 21.8% of students missed more than 10% of their school days. 
  • Because PAR gives more “weight” to students with lower attendance (i.e., a few students with very low attendance can significantly lower the rate), it is considered a more precise indicator of chronic absenteeism than average daily attendance. 
  • In short, the PAR metric helps Missouri and districts see not just how many students attend daily on average, but also how many students are consistently present. It’s about raising the floor — ensuring that fewer students miss too much school.

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