Detroit Public Schools Community District is expanding a programme that rewards perfect attendance with gift cards, after officials said it helped reduce persistent absenteeism among high-school pupils. The initiative matters because Detroit has faced particularly high absence rates, reflecting a wider post-pandemic challenge for school districts across the US.

For the 2026–27 school year, the scheme will run from 5 January to 20 March and extend to middle-school pupils; parents of eligible middle-school pupils will receive $50 for each five-day period of perfect attendance. High-school pupils can earn up to $100 weekly, capped at $1,000 for the season, while the district reported chronic absenteeism fell by seven percentage points in the programme’s first year and two points in the following year. The district’s chronic absenteeism rate was 60.9% in 2024–25, and it says the incentives are funded by interest on money held for facilities projects, rather than tax, state or federal education funds.