Oregon Students Spend Weeks Less in School Than the U.S. Average and It’s Crippling Test Scores

Oregon is the worst offender nationwide of chronic school absenteeism, which amplifies the negative effects reflected in its end-of-year exam outcomes.

The Average American High School Student Spends Between 35 and 47 More Days in School

Oregon is the worst offender nationwide of chronic school absenteeism, which exacerbates the negative effects on its end-of-year exam outcomes.

The average American high school student spends about 35 more days in school, while elementary and middle school students spend 47 or more days attending school, compared to students in Oregon.

These startling statistics were revealed to members of the House Interim Education Committee on Tuesday by Matthew Kraft, a professor of education and economics at Brown University. He says research has proven that the amount of time spent on instruction in school has a positive impact on student learning outcomes.

Oregon State Law is Exacerbating the Problem

Under Oregon state law, the definition of school instructional hours is broadened to include activities beyond classroom learning.

Here is what Oregon rules allow districts to count as instructional time outside the classroom.

These activities encompass 30 hours allocated for professional staff development, 30 hours for parent-teacher conferences, and up to 60 hours of recess for kindergarten through third grade students. This policy further exacerbates the issue by reducing actual instructional time.

Kraft said another problem was that teachers could not carry forward unused personal days and sick leave, and suggested that the panel introduce incentives to address the problem.

In April 2025, a Stand for Children Oregon survey found that chronic absenteeism has a more negative impact on students in Oregon than on those in other states.

Using 2020 data from the National Center for Education Statistics, the nonprofit found that Oregon elementary school students receive 900 hours of instruction compared with 975 nationally.

It was also revealed that elementary school students received 3,900 hours of instruction, but that a chronically absent student would have received 3,510 hours. Kraft said the high rate of students absent for at least 10% of the school days places Oregon 33% behind Alaska and Washington D.C.

However, Kraft warned the panel that additional instruction time alone will not solve the problem. What is needed is to find solutions that will marry highly qualified teachers with uninterrupted school instruction.