The Government Accountability Office warned that billions of dollars in federal education funding are at risk of waste, fraud, and abuse after the U.S. Department of Education suspended its primary oversight mechanism.
A recent GAO report found that the department halted comprehensive monitoring of Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) requirements to develop a new approach. As of August, the agency had not provided a timeline for resuming reviews or details on alternative compliance methods.
Federal Oversight Gap
The consolidated monitoring process was fully implemented in 2019 and is designed to ensure states comply with federal education laws. The GAO noted that half of the states remain unmonitored for reporting requirements that apply to all jurisdictions.
“As a result of suspending consolidated monitoring, Education will not be able to systematically assess whether states are complying with ESEA requirements and following their approved state plans,” the report said.
Title I funding represents about two-thirds of nearly $27 billion in total ESEA funding in 2025. States receiving these funds must develop statewide accountability systems and report data on chronic absenteeism. The Education Department defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10% or more of school days.
Data Reliability Concerns
Beyond the lack of oversight, the GAO raised concerns about the reliability of federal absenteeism data currently being collected. The agency found that some schools reported absenteeism rates above 100%, a statistical impossibility indicating significant errors in reporting or calculation.
The discrepancies stem from mismatched timeframes in how data is collected. The Education Department directs states to report chronically absent students over a full school year but calculates total enrollment based on a single date. This methodological flaw resulted in unreliable and implausible chronic absenteeism rates, particularly in low-performing schools and those housing career and technical education programs.
Chronic absenteeism has remained elevated following the COVID-19 pandemic, with estimates suggesting one-quarter of K-12 students were chronically absent in recent years. Accurate data is essential for tracking trends and evaluating interventions.
“Absent quality chronic absenteeism data, this nationwide data source cannot be used to reliably track trends or evaluate the effectiveness of accountability efforts and interventions to address chronic absenteeism,” the GAO concluded.
Discrepancies in Specific School Types
The GAO found notable discrepancies in absentee rates at shared-time schools, where students often split days between institutions for career and technical education or specialized programs. More than 30% of shared-time schools had implausible chronic absenteeism rates.
In contrast, under 2% of other schools showed similar data errors. The report highlighted Pennsylvania as an extreme example, where 98% of shared-time schools reported implausible rates. However, the analysis also identified states with no shared-time schools having implausible rates, including Idaho, Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.
Nearly 13% of Comprehensive Support and Improvement schools—those identified for significant academic struggles—had implausible rates over 100%. About 2% of schools not in that category showed similar errors. The GAO emphasized that without systematic assessment, the federal government cannot verify if states are meeting their obligations or if taxpayer dollars are being used effectively to address student attendance issues.