The North Carolina attendance ladder in plain words — the triggers, who acts next, and what a parent should put in writing at each step.
Compulsory attendance: ages 7 to 16 (G.S. 115C-378).
The triggers: Principal must notify the parent after the child has accumulated three unexcused absences in a school year; after not more than six unexcused absences the principal must notify the parent by mail of a possible Compulsory Attendance Law violation; after 10 accumulated unexcused absences the principal must review and confer and, if the parent has not made a good faith effort, notify the district attorney and the director of social services (G.S. 115C-378(e)-(f))..
The deep-decoded ladders cover California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois in the decoder. For North Carolina, the universal paper moves apply: verify how each absence was coded, send held documentation now with proof of delivery, request conferences in writing, and log every effort with dates.
Rules checked October 2026 — every rule on this page is cited to its source. Verify day counts against your district's official calendar.
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