The Connecticut State Department of Education announced Sept. 29 that it is awarding approximately $6.2 million in state grants to 29 school districts for the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program (LEAP), a home visiting initiative designed to improve student attendance.
The grants are supported by a dedicated $7 million state budget line, with the remainder funding statewide LEAP infrastructure including home visitor training and data collection.
Since the program's launch in 2021, chronic absenteeism in Connecticut has declined for four consecutive years, from 23.7 percent in 2021-2022 to 16.4 percent in 2025-2026. The state said this represents roughly 35,000 more students attending school regularly compared with 2021-2022.
Through LEAP, trained school staff and community partners conduct home visits to connect with students and families, identify barriers to attendance, and link families with support services. Since the program began, home visitors have conducted approximately 88,000 visits and reached approximately 53,000 students.
An independent evaluation found that attendance improved by over 10 percentage points after a LEAP visit. Students who received a LEAP visit also experienced a five-percentage-point decline in disciplinary incidents.