It case anybody is interested, the metric is "absent at least 10% of school days for all causes combined", which presumably ranges from skipping school, through holding down a job, to leukaemia. But it's consistent.

Consistent, but flawed. I graduated high school at 16 as a junior, by simply taking more classes than study halls and doubling up on English class one year. Even with the "heavy" load, I was mind numbingly bored in what was considered a "good" school. In my school district they had the 10% max absence metric back in the '70's as well, and Spring of my last year I was warned that if I was absent one more time, this A student would have to repeat the last year due to chronic absence. It was the very definition of face time required. Perhaps I should have simply entertained myself by acting up in class. It seemed to be the more accepted way to deal with boredom.

IP,
similarly irritated by those perfect attendance awards, gained by coming in to school when sick and getting my kids sick too