Report an Absence
Call: 781-455-0800 x22602
Email: [email protected]
Absences should be called in prior to the date of absence.

Approved absences fall into two categories:
Authorized Absences (A) are authorized by parents/guardians, and those absences do count toward attendance totals for credit loss at the end of the year if they exceed 11 in a full-year course or 5 in a semester course. A parent/guardian can authorize an unlimited amount of absences; however, the absences accumulate toward credit loss.

Excused Absences (AE) represent medical appointments, religious holidays, or bereavement periods and do not count toward credit loss totals; to change an authorized absence to an excused absence due to medical reasons, we simply need documentation from the doctor listing the specific dates missed.

Note that when a student accumulates 10 tardies (T) in one class, the student will lose credit in that class. This does not apply to excused tardies (TE), which represent a student presenting a pass from a staff member upon arriving late.  

Students must earn a minimum of 92 credits to graduate Needham High School. Students may still earn a grade in the class and satisfy course requirements even if they lose credit in a class.