Vanguard Collegiate Middle School Decreased Chronic Absenteeism By 27%, the Largest Improvement in the District for Quarter 1

Baltimore, MD (Wednesday, November 20, 2024) – Mayor Brandon M. Scott, alongside Baltimore City Public Schools CEO Dr. Sonja Santelises, are pleased to announce Vanguard Collegiate Middle School as the Quarter 1 winner of the Mayor’s Attendance Challenge. 

The Mayor’s Attendance Challenge is an initiative to promote daily attendance in Baltimore City Public Schools. Mayor Scott is challenging every student to be on time, every day, to school. Every quarter, starting at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, the Mayor recognizes schools making the most progress in improving attendance.

For the first quarter, Vanguard Collegiate Middle School reduced its chronic absenteeism by 27%, the largest in the district. 

“I am so proud of Principal Cofer and the students, faculty, staff, and families of Vanguard Collegiate Middle School for their rapid reduction in chronic absenteeism,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “Attendance is one of the most important factors in impacting a young person’s academic performance, social emotional development, and future life outcomes. But attendance has also been a major challenge for students since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. While I am proud of this progress, we still have so much more work to do across the district to ensure every young person is in school on-time, every day. 

“I am thankful to Mayor Scott for recognizing the progress in reducing chronic absenteeism at Vanguard Collegiate Middle School,”  said Dr. Sonja Santelises. “The staff at Vanguard under Principal Cofer’s leadership have been working hard to connect with families around student attendance through home visits and ongoing monitoring and support. The progress is evidence that our strategies to improve attendance are working. While we have more work to do, we are grateful that the Mayor is joining us to push for progress, and celebrate it as it is made.”

At the event, the Mayor and Dr. Santelises awarded Principal Harik Cofer the mayor's attendance challenge cup and a certificate of recognition.