Identifying driving factors of school attendance in elementary grades has come to the forefront of policy discussion. Little research has been dedicated to understanding the role of classroom context, and no studies have examined whether having classmates from the previous school year who are also present in the current classroom might influence absenteeism (i.e., familiar faces). This study uses district data to explore whether the percentage of familiar faces is associated with absence outcomes for students. The findings suggest that having familiar faces from the previous school year was linked to lower numbers of unexcused absences and lower odds of chronic absenteeism. This suggests that elementary school students might benefit from peer stability, and policy makers and educational stakeholders might help students maintain some degree of familiarity by considering the role of consistent classmates.
