Grand Junction High School attendance rates remain relatively the same as the previous school year.
GJHS during the 2024-25 school year had an attendance rate of 84.2% for the entire school, with the Mesa County Valley School District 51 as a whole having a rate of 89.2% and that of the state of Colorado being 91.4%. Though the attendance numbers for this year are not yet available, this year and last year have been relatively the same, according to GJHS social studies teacher Amy Deschamp, who tracks attendance closely for student’s success.
According to GJHS Attendance Secretaries Michelle Umberger and Melinda Garcia, most absences this year have been due to illness and are considered excused. The school policy for excused absences is that there is a guideline to have a two-day extension for any work that was assigned on days of absence.
“I think that all of us here who work with kids just want what’s best for them,” said Garcia.
Some students believe skipping class is not worth the trouble. GJHS junior Aiden
Kyle said skipping class only creates problems for students, such as falling behind and eventually having to make up work. According to Kyle, more students are absent on test and block days. He said they often choose not to show up because they might not be ready or just don’t want to be there.
“The more you skip, the more you have to do. Skipping is for booger eaters,” said Kyle.
According to various students, they may not show up due to feeling discouraged from attending classes due to burnout and a lack of motivation. They think that certain subjects are irrelevant or that their teachers do not teach them well enough. GJHS sophomore Noah Blickenstaff said he dislikes classes that he thinks are not relevant. Blickenstaff said he skips more than he used to because of the number of things that he has to do in and out of school.
“The work, it’s pointless. What if I’m dead tomorrow? The work would be pointless,” said Blickenstaff.
GJHS librarian Pam Middlemas said students choosing to skip can be discouraging for teachers to hear because it’s their life’s work. Middlemas said she has seen significantly fewer students skipping to the library, which was a problem last school year.
According to Middlemas, she used to be able to identify which kids were skipping, but now she cannot, with the number of people in the library lower during class.
