Keeping track of attendance is an essential aspect of managing schools and educational institutions. PowerSchool, a widely-used student information system, provides a comprehensive platform for tracking attendance records. Calculating daily attendance percentage is a crucial task that enables educators to monitor student engagement and identify potential issues early on. In this post, we will guide you through the process of calculating daily attendance percentage in PowerSchool, making it a hassle-free task for educators.

Step 1: Accessing PowerSchool: To begin, log in to your PowerSchool account using your credentials. Once you are logged in, navigate to the attendance module, which is typically located in the main menu or sidebar.

Step 2: Selecting the Attendance Report: In the attendance module, locate the attendance reports section. Depending on your version of PowerSchool, the naming or placement of this section may vary slightly. Look for options such as "Reports," "Attendance Reports," or "Attendance Analysis."

Step 3: Choosing the Date Range: In the attendance reports section, you will be prompted to select the date range for which you want to calculate the attendance percentage. Typically, you will have options to select a specific day, week, month, or custom range. Choose the desired date range to proceed.

Step 4: Generating the Attendance Report: After selecting the date range, click on the "Generate" or "Run Report" button to generate the attendance report for the specified period. PowerSchool will compile the data and present it in a tabular format.

Step 5: Analyzing the Attendance Data: The generated attendance report will display student-wise attendance data for the selected date range. The report will typically include columns such as student name, attendance dates, and attendance codes representing different types of attendance (e.g., present, absent, tardy, excused, etc.).

Step 6: Calculating Daily Attendance Percentage: To calculate the daily attendance percentage, you need to determine the total number of instructional days and the number of days a student is present during that period.
Total Instructional Days: Count the number of days in the specified date range that were designated as instructional days (excluding weekends, holidays, and non-school days).
Days Present: For each student, count the number of days they were marked present in the attendance report for the selected date range.

Step 7: Applying the Formula: Once you have the total instructional days and the number of days a student was present, calculating the daily attendance percentage is a straightforward process.

Daily Attendance Percentage = (Days Present / Total Instructional Days) x 100

For example, if there were 20 instructional days in the specified date range and a student was present for 18 days, their daily attendance percentage would be: (18 / 20) x 100 = 90%

Step 8: Analyzing and Utilizing the Data: Now that you have calculated the daily attendance percentage for each student, you can analyze the data to gain valuable insights into student attendance patterns. By identifying students with consistently low attendance percentages, you can intervene and provide the necessary support to improve their engagement and academic performance.

By following the step-by-step guide outlined in this blog post, educators can efficiently calculate daily attendance percentages in PowerSchool.

Accurate attendance tracking is vital for maintaining a healthy learning environment, and Level Data simplifies the process by providing robust attendance tracking reports in our RealTime Reports.  This enables districts to monitor student attendance, identify trends, and take proactive measures to ensure student success.