Why It Matters
The federal government has paused its primary oversight mechanism for K-12 education spending, leaving billions of dollars in taxpayer funds without systematic review. This suspension raises concerns about the integrity of federal education grants and the accuracy of national student attendance data.
What Happened
The U.S. Department of Education suspended its consolidated monitoring process for Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requirements this year. A new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office (GAO) states that this halt puts billions of dollars at heightened risk of undetected waste, fraud, and abuse.
The GAO found that without these reviews, the department cannot systematically verify whether states are complying with ESEA mandates or following approved state plans. As of August, the Education Department had not provided a timeline for resuming these audits or details on an alternative compliance method.
“As a result of suspending consolidated monitoring, Education will not be able to systematically assess whether states are complying with ESEA requirements and following their approved state plans,” the report said.
Data Integrity Concerns
The watchdog also raised significant concerns about the reliability of federal absenteeism data. The GAO noted that some schools reported chronic absenteeism rates above 100 percent, a statistical impossibility indicating flawed calculation methods.
The Education Department defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent or more of school days. However, the agency directs states to report chronically absent students over an entire school year while calculating total enrollment based on a single date. This mismatch in timeframes has produced unreliable figures.
“Calculating rates using mismatched timeframes has resulted in unreliable and implausible chronic absenteeism rates (e.g., rates over 100 percent),” the GAO said.
These discrepancies were particularly prevalent in low-performing schools, Comprehensive Support and Improvement schools, and institutions housing career and technical education programs. Shared-time schools, where students split their day between different districts or programs, showed the highest error rates.
By the Numbers
Nearly $27 billion — Total Elementary and Secondary Education Act funding in 2025
Two-thirds — Portion of ESEA funding designated as Title I aid
Half — Share of states remaining unmonitored for chronic absenteeism reporting requirements
One-quarter — Estimated portion of K-12 students chronically absent in recent years
More than 30% — Portion of shared-time schools with implausible chronic absenteeism rates
98% — Share of Pennsylvania shared-time schools with implausible absenteeism data
Nearly 13% — Portion of Comprehensive Support and Improvement schools reporting rates over 100%
Zoom Out
Chronic absenteeism has remained elevated following the COVID-19 pandemic, making accurate tracking essential for resource allocation. Title I funding, which constitutes the majority of ESEA dollars, requires states to develop accountability systems and report attendance data.
The monitoring system was fully implemented in 2019 but has now been paused. While some states like Delaware, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, and Rhode Island showed no implausible rates among shared-time schools, others struggled significantly with data consistency. The GAO’s findings suggest that without federal oversight, the quality of state-reported education metrics may vary widely.
What’s Next
The Education Department must determine whether to resume consolidated monitoring or establish a new compliance framework. Until a timeline is released, states will continue operating without systematic federal assessment of their ESEA adherence. The GAO report serves as a formal warning that current data collection methods may not accurately reflect student attendance realities.