San Diego Unified Student Wellness program cuts chronic absenteeism, boosts belonging in schools
By Abbie Black, CBS 8
San Diego Unified School District officials reported significant progress Tuesday in their efforts to prioritize student wellness, with chronic absenteeism projected to decline by 2.7% and students reporting increased feelings of belonging at school.
The Board of Education received a Student Wellness Progress Monitoring Report detailing improvements since the district made wellness its top priority following the pandemic. District leaders also introduced plans for a new Student Wellness Index being developed in partnership with San Diego State University and the San Diego County Office of Education.
"Students doing well physically, mentally, and emotionally are better equipped to excel in the classroom, but if they are facing challenges in one or more of those areas, a student's ability to learn suffers," Superintendent Fabi Bagula said in a statement. "We are working to help eliminate or at least minimize the challenges by delivering the support students need."
Board Vice President Richard Barrera said the focus on wellness represents the district's most effective strategy for improving attendance.
"Our focus on wellness is the best proven strategy to actually reduce chronic absenteeism and get students back on track," Barrera said. "A student has to want to come to school, so a school has to be safe, a student has to feel like they're connected to adults and to other students, engaged in their learning."
Chronic absenteeism shows a steady decline
According to the 2024 California Schools Dashboard, San Diego Unified saw its overall rate of chronic absenteeism decline for a second consecutive year. The district defines chronic absenteeism as students missing more than 10% of the school year. Early projections indicate the rate will drop another 2.7% this year.
The problem peaked during the 2021-22 school year when 37% of students were chronically absent following the pandemic. That rate has now declined to 18%, though district officials say it needs to fall below 10%.
Nine schools showed the greatest improvements in attendance between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, spanning four area districts. Marshall Elementary saw the most dramatic decline, dropping from 40.9% chronic absenteeism to 25% — a decrease of 15.9 percentage points. Hamilton Elementary followed with a 14.7 percentage point drop, from 24.7% to 10%.
Roman del Rosario, executive director of Data Insights and Systems Supports for San Diego Unified, attributed the improvements to data-driven interventions in a news release.
"We proactively address chronic absenteeism by participating in the San Diego County Office of Education ICAN network as well as the state-sponsored RAISE program that focuses on the implementation of proven best practices to reduce absenteeism," del Rosario said. "Unlike in the past, we are actively leveraging the available data to intervene and seek solutions that support our students, their families, and our school communities."
Student survey shows increased sense of belonging
A new student survey launched during the 2024-25 school year measures grit, growth mindset, school climate, safety, self-efficacy, self-management, sense of belonging and teacher-student relationships.
The District reports that since the survey's launch, the percentage of students who said they feel they belong, matter to others at school, and have caring relationships with their teachers increased by 2.7 percentage points.
Nine schools showed the greatest increases in these areas across all five area districts. Encanto Elementary led with 81.5% of students reporting positive feelings about belonging and mattering. Loma Portal followed at 77.6%, and Holmes Elementary at 77.4%.
"It is encouraging to see many of our school sites identifying funds and specific supports within their School Plans for Student Achievement that directly impact students' sense of belonging and overall well-being," del Rosario said.
Student Voices Highlight Resource Awareness Gap
Lauren Ly, a sophomore at Scripps Ranch High School, said the district's wellness focus addresses pressures students face beyond academics.
"They're recognizing that they're individuals juggling multiple extracurriculars, work, sports, et cetera, and they're not just their test scores and grades, and that these are people who definitely need support during difficult and uncertain times," Ly said.
But Ly said many students remain unaware of available resources.
"I myself didn't even realize that our school had a student wellness room, so it wasn't until our school's news station or broadcasting team [which] has these weekly announcements, made it clear to me that there was a place for me to relax and debrief from the stressful environment at our school," she said.
Ly described how academic struggles can create a negative spiral affecting mental health and attendance.
"If I feel like I'm not doing so well in a class, I almost spiral down this path of mental negativity. If I'm not doing well in class, my grades continue to drop, and I feel disengaged," she said. "I have lower confidence in myself, and I don't really see myself achieving greatness, which is low wellness. Which is good that the district is emphasizing student wellness, so it can support students like [me] who go through such tough times."
Barrera said keeping students engaged requires addressing their overall well-being, not just academics.
"This is actually the number one issue," Barrera said. "In order for a kid to do well in reading, in math, in all of the academic subjects, to graduate on time, to go to college, to go into successful careers — their mental health and wellness needs to be a focus."
New wellness index to launch pilot program
The district defines wellness as "taking care of our body, our mind, and the connections we have with family, friends and community." Officials say wellness has four interconnected parts — body, mind, relationships and community — that work together to help students create healthy daily habits.
"Student wellness is not easy to measure, and few districts have chosen to prioritize it like us," Bagula said. "We have worked with our students, staff and community to define student wellness, establish goals to strive for, and plan how to incorporate it into the culture of our school communities."
In the coming months, the Student Wellness Index framework will be finalized, and a pilot program will be conducted at schools participating in the Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program in the Canyon Hills, Mira Mesa, Mission Bay, Morse and San Diego clusters. The pilot aims to establish a baseline of data by May 2026.
The wellness index will identify multiple data points to provide a holistic evaluation of student wellness beyond traditional academic metrics.
San Diego Unified has also established five interim student wellness goals through 2030:
- Decrease chronic absenteeism for all students from 21.4% in 2023-24 to 12.4% by 2029-30.
- Decrease chronic absenteeism for "Spotlight" students (specific high-need populations) from 28.7% in May 2025 to 19.7% by May 2030.
- Increase the percentage of all students responding with a 4 or 5 on the composite measure of belonging, mattering and teacher relationships from 57.1% in May 2025 to 59.1% by May 2026.
- Increase the percentage of Spotlight students responding with a 4 or 5 on the composite measure from 53.9% in May 2025 to 55.9% by May 2026.
- Pilot the Student Wellness Index at SBHIP schools to establish a baseline by May 2026.
Ly referenced the butterfly mural on a wall in the quad, which she says represents the district's emphasis on student voices, and could create positive effects throughout school communities.
"It shows that every good action you make creates a good reaction at our school," she said. "If you're a good student with good student wellness, you're going to really magnify that to the rest of the student culture."
She emphasized that wellness initiatives recognize students' humanity beyond academic performance.
"Student wellness is all about listening to the students and recognizing their voices, and they're not just grades, they're people too," Ly said.