School building conditions and chronic absenteeism within socioeconomic contexts: a component-level statistical analysis in New York State

Purpose – Chronic absenteeism has surged since the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the role of school building conditions as correlates of attendance remains under-specified at the system level. This study links chronic absenteeism rates for New York public school buildings with standardized, component-level data from the 2024 New York State Building Condition Survey. Design/methodology/approach – Using a Bonferroni-adjusted multi-method statistical framework aligned with variable types (group means comparisons, correlations, and multiple linear regression with Socioeconomic Status (SES) control), we identify specific systems, materials, and practices associated with student absence. Findings – Socioeconomic context accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in chronic absenteeism (R² = 0.40), and over half of the building features significant in bivariate analysis lost significance after controlling for nine neighborhood-level SES variables. Among building features, indoor air quality factors showed the strongest independent associations: indoor pesticide use was associated with an approximately 8.1 percentage-point increase in absenteeism (b = 8.09, p < 0.001), mold-susceptible ceiling materials with a 6.6 percentage-point increase (b = 6.57, p < 0.001), and buildings tested for radon below 4 pCi/L with a 4.1 percentage-point decrease (b = −4.14, p = 0.04). Recent renovations were also associated with a 5.5 percentage-point reduction in absenteeism (b = −5.54, p < 0.001). In contrast, aggregate facility ratings and perceived conditions (e.g. cleanliness, lighting) showed no independent association. Research limitations/implications – The study is cross-sectional and observational, identifying associations rather than causal effects, and relies on inspector-assessed building conditions. Reduced sample sizes in some categories and small subgroups for certain features limit statistical power and reliability. Residual confounders not captured by the nine SES controls (e.g. district policies, transportation access) may remain. The restriction to New York State public school buildings limits cross-jurisdictional generalizability. Practical implications – Facility managers and district leaders can use the findings to prioritize component-level actions that are more directly linked to attendance-relevant exposures, including reviewing indoor pesticide practices, scheduling replacement of mold-susceptible ceiling materials during renovation cycles, maintaining systematic radon testing, and using SES-adjusted evidence when ranking capital projects. Originality/value – This study provides one of the first component-level, system-specific assessments linking school building conditions to chronic absenteeism across a large sample of New York State public school buildings using standardized engineer/architect survey data. It moves beyond composite “facility quality” scores to identify specific building features, including maintenance status, indoor pesticide use, moisture/mold-prone materials, radon practices, and water piping types that are independently associated with absenteeism and align with plausible health pathways. The findings offer a prioritization view for infrastructure management and operation, targeting building components strongly associated with attendance disparities.