PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A new national report says up to 7.5 million students miss nearly a month of school each year, making them much more likely to drop out before they graduate.

What’s more startling is that only six states track chronic absenteeism. That’s according to a study by Johns Hopkins University researchers released Thursday at events in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

The study estimates that up to 15 percent of students nationally are considered chronically absent. That spikes up to one-third of students in urban and rural areas,where students are poor and come from families with little education.

Researchers found absenteeism to be highest in kindergarten and in high school. States that track the issue are: Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon and Rhode Island.

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