As the outside weather gets warmer and classes become less interesting for students, each to-do list continuously adds on and assignments can become a dread to finish. For high school students, “Senioritis” is a term used to describe a slump towards studies. This can be shown through multiple symptoms including burnout, lack of motivation, and disinterest.

As the 2023-2024 school year progresses, public school records have shown a decrease in student attendance for senior students. From randomly selected dates in West Linn High School attendance, the absence rate of seniors has increased over the past few months. On Sept. 22, 2023, the freshman absence rate was 3.8%, while the senior absence rate was 8.9%. Comparatively to Feb. 8, 2024, the senior absence rate was 11.0%. Throughout previous months, seniors have kept the highest percentage of absences compared to other grades.

Students’ behaviors and lack of motivation towards school is not unnoticed by teachers. Tina Mace, math teacher, has seen a change in participation from senior students.

“I try to remind my students about how a lot of the classes are [ones that] they can earn college credits for,” Mace said. “They’re trying to practice good habits now to get them ready for wherever they’re going next, and learn that attendance does help raise a grade a little bit.”

By providing more quizzes, tests, and assignments, some teachers use these tools to encourage participation.

Although “Senioritis” can impact students and their grades, there are other ways to combat this slump. Senior students have mentioned making to-do lists to stay organized, actively engaging in hobbies or extracurricular activities that spark interest, and taking active breaks to prevent further burnout.