Enfield Schools Get Money To Help Students Miss Fewer Classes

ENFIELD, CT — Enfield schools will receive $108,672 in state funding for a program that uses home visits to help students attend school more regularly.

Gov. Ned Lamont and Education Commissioner Charlene M. Russell-Tucker announced the award Wednesday as part of approximately $6.2 million in grants to 29 school districts for the 2026-27 school year.

East Windsor will receive $62,816 through the same grant round.

The funding supports the Learner Engagement and Attendance Program, known as LEAP. Home visitors work with families to identify what is keeping students out of school and connect them with resources to address those barriers.

The remaining money in the $7 million state budget allocation will support home visitor training, program implementation and data collection, according to the announcement.

Connecticut launched LEAP in 2021 with federal COVID-19 relief money after absenteeism rose during the pandemic. It initially served 15 districts, later expanded to 25 and will now reach 29.

Since its launch, the program has logged approximately 88,000 home visits and reached about 53,000 students, state officials said.

Statewide chronic absenteeism fell from 23.7 percent in 2021-22 to 16.4 percent in 2025-26, according to the announcement. Officials said that translates to nearly 35,000 more students attending regularly. LEAP is one part of the state’s broader attendance effort.

“Getting students into classrooms and keeping them engaged is fundamental to their success,” Lamont said in the announcement.

Chronic absenteeism means missing at least 10 percent of the school days a student is enrolled, including excused, unexcused and disciplinary absences. That works out to 18 days in a 180-day school year.

The program was developed with Attendance Works. EdAdvance and the Capitol Region Education Council help provide training, data tools and technical assistance. More information is available on the state’s LEAP website.

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