Did CMS test scores drop after Border Patrol absences? What initial data show
Student attendance in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools recovered after Border Patrol descended on the city in November, and leaders say, initial data doesn’t show increased absences broadly affected standardized test scores.
CMS saw a drastic drop in attendance the week of Nov. 17, as Border Patrol conducted its immigration enforcement blitz termed “Operation Charlotte’s Web.” Over the course of the week, officers detained more than 370 people around the Charlotte region, Department of Homeland Security officials said.
CMS saw over 27,000 absences Nov. 17 – nearly triple the number it saw the Monday prior. The total absences Nov. 17 accounted for 19% of the total CMS student population. However, the numbers reflected all absences in the district, not exclusively those due to fear of Border Patrol activity.
The CMS attendance rate peaked during the first week of school, at around 96% average weekly attendance, according to data The Charlotte Observer obtained from CMS through a data request. It then dropped off to around 92% through September and October. The week of Nov. 17, however, it dipped to around 82%. It hovered under 90.5% for the remainder of the semester. Attendance returned to 92% and above during the week of Jan. 12 and has remained around that level since.
CMS leaders initially worried that performance on end-of-course assessments – state standardized tests students take when they return to school after winter break on material from the first half of the school year – could be affected by the uptick in absences at the end of the first semester, CMS Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer Beth Thompson said.
However, she said Wednesday, initial data doesn’t show there’s been a big impact on mid-year test scores.
“We did worry about that, but our unofficial semester one end-of-course assessment data does not show a relationship between end of course assessment performance and the larger than usual absences in November,” Thompson said in an email to the Observer. “Deeper analysis will be needed to look more specifically at the impact on performance – if any - for students who were absent versus those who were not.”
Earlier this month, CMS also rolled out new online instructional resources for families to use when students are absent due to illness, weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
“These materials offer a bridge – not a replacement – for the high-quality instruction delivered daily by our expert educators,” CMS said in messaging to families.
The rollout came after CMS saw eight consecutive days of altered schedules due to inclement weather in January and February.
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This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
