In an effort to tackle one of the worst chronic absenteeism rates in the country, the Detroit Public Schools Community District is launching a pilot program to provide yellow school bus transportation to high school students.

Sixty percent of students in DPSCD were considered chronically absent last school year, meaning they missed 18 or more days of school.

"Detroit has very high chronic absenteeism rates," said Sarah Lenhoff, associate professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Wayne State University.

The current figure is an improvement from 66% in the 2023-24 school year. In 2023, federal data showed 23% of students across the country were chronically absent.

"One thing that we continue to hear from our families is transportation," said Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

This school year, East English Village Preparatory Academy and Henry Ford High School, which Vitti says have some of the highest absenteeism rates in the district, will each receive four school buses, providing transportation to students who live within the surrounding neighborhoods. 

About 900 students in total are expected to be served. If the program is a success, the district will consider expanding it to other schools.

Traditionally, only K-8 students in Detroit are provided with yellow bus service. High school students are usually issued Detroit Department of Transportation bus passes or rely on family or public transportation.

"There's problems with public transit – because it's not designed for students to get to school. It's designed for workers to get to work," Lenhoff said.

District leaders say they continue to work on ways to boost attendance.

"Kindergarten is actually the highest level of absenteeism in DPSCD, and there are many reasons for that ... In the state of Michigan, kindergarten attendance is not mandatory or required, and we're trying to change that in state law," Vitti said.

The pilot bus program, in total, will cost $600,000 for the school year. If participation is low, it will be discontinued.

"My close best friend didn't have the transportation – he was going through some stuff at home, so that caused him to not really be at school, and I know it's like that for the majority of students here," recent East English graduate Antonio Reyes told CBS News Detroit.

Reyes welcomes the pilot program because he says he watched transportation issues affect his peers. While he was close enough to walk to school, Reyes said that wasn't the case for many students, and the lack of reliable transportation had a real impact on attendance and academic performance.

"My close best friend didn't have transportation. He was going through stuff at home, so he couldn't really get to school," he said."Parents couldn't drop them off. They had to take the city bus, and if it shut down, they'd have to wait another hour."

For students who continue to miss school consistently, the district is considering requiring them to attend their neighborhood school to reduce transportation barriers and boost engagement.

"What we know is that when DPSCD students miss fewer than 18 days, they are three to five times more likely to be at or above grade level in literacy and math, and to be college-ready on the SAT," said Vitti."