Of the 7,751 students who attend Delano Union School District's pre-K through eighth grade schools, 98 percent of those students went to school every day last year. In the first three months of this school year only one percent of students have missed school.
Here's how the district gets kids to show up.
All 12 district schools have a health clinic. Six nurses rotate to each campus and provide on site medical care usually for asthma, which often keeps kids from school.
"Asthma is a huge concern especially here in the valley. We're seated in the agricultural area here, there are lots of almond trees, lots of almond shaking, lots of students who react to that," said Linda Hinojosa, RN, Health Services Coordinator. "So we have students that bring their inhalers to school, we have inhalers here on campus particularly if they're too young to use it themselves that a nurse or school staff can help administer that medication."
There's also an attendance clerk at each school who reports daily which students are absent and calls parents to find out why kids are missing. The clerk dispatches Delano police officers to door knock at homes for unexcused absences.
To serve migrant families the district has set up a space for computer use, a library, and teachers dedicated to helping with homework and test prep.
"Many districts do not have the same kind of success that Delano has and I truly believe its been a community effort here that's established a culture and just as expectation and belief system where everyone really works hard to make sure kids get to school so they have the opportunity to learn," said Superintendent Anthony Monreal.
The district wants students to learn how important showing up is now and in the future.
"When you're expected to be somewhere and you're expected to be on time, and you're expected to perform, that's also teaching a lifelong skill for college, for careers," said Dr. Christina Luna, Assistant Superintendent. "So it's college and career readiness also that we expect our students to be on time."
The district says they hope to have 100 percent attendance by the end of this school year.