New York, NY —
Having the last day of class on a Monday did lead to lower attendance for the New York City public schools. The Department of Education says attendance was less than 75 percent -- compared to 79.5 percent last year.
In a city with more than a million public school students, that means about 260,000 kids were absent. It’s a small fraction of the student body but that’s still bigger than the entire Houston public school system.
A Department of Education spokesperson says officials are pleased that last-day attendance wasn't worse given all the low predictions made in the media. Attendance is usually above 90 percent but it’s tempting for high school students and younger students with summer plans to blow off the last day.
