How many school days can Northern Colorado students miss?

When I was a kid, sick days/vacation days were few and far between. My parents had to work all day, and we were poor, and they didn't trust me. But I'll even admit I couldn't be trusted. I liked fire....

Just Kidding

But that's not what this article is about. This article is about school days and how many your kids are allowed to take, and what happens if you go over that number? And when did this even start? Let's begin.

For Northern Colorado schools, there is a rule: 4 unexcused days OR 10 excused days. But what if your family is rich and wants to go to Europe for a month? Parents will be immediately arrested.

Just kidding.

If your kid misses four days unexcused or ten excused days, the school will most likely intervene. They be all up in your business.

They won't come and haul off the parents if the kid is slacking. You will be put on a truancy plan and possibly have to have weekly meetings with teachers. Lucky teachers—good thing they make so much money.

Bottom line: You won't have to go to truancy court until your child misses one hundred and eighty days. That's a lot.

Also, the state of Colorado keeps a record of your kids' "chronic absences." Their words, not mine. It really feels like the school districts have some pretty great resources for struggling parents or students.

What about tardiness?

These are a big deal. Not as big as missing the entire day, but definitely something your kid should try to avoid. There's no specific number, but if it happens often, the school will contact the parents.

Final thought — In the '90s, I knew that if I got in trouble at school, home would be ten times worse. But it's 2026 now.