The attendance policy enacted earlier this year is proving to be successful, based on a recently released administration report.

The report reveals that unexcused absences were down across the board in all grade levels.

For the first semester of this year, the total number of cuts was 4309, 4121 fewer than first semester of last year. This roughly equals a 49 percent reduction in cuts from 2008, a 55 percent reduction from 2007 and a 57 percent reduction from 2006.

Moreover, the report indicated a decrease in the number of students who cut. A total of 680 pupils racked up at least one cut over the first semester of this year compared to 1053 students last year, 1289 students the year before and 1321 students the year before that.

The policy, however, appears to be most successful with regards to truants. This year only 147 kids accumulated three or more cuts over first semester. This is a whopping 58 percent decrease from last year and a 72 percent reduction from the fall semester of 2006.

These numbers translate to more kids in class, and teachers are noticing.

“When I first saw the numbers I was shocked to find out they were so high,” said English teacher Julia Taylor. “[Since last year] there has been a huge reduction.”

To see the full report, click here.