DPSCD High School Students Can Earn Up to $1,000 for Perfect Attendance!

Detroit Public Schools Community District is excited to launch the second year of the “Perfect Attendance Pays” initiative as students return from Winter Break! The District will provide high school students with the opportunity to earn a gift card valued at $100 every time students have perfect attendance during a 5-day cycle starting Monday, January 5 – Friday, January 9. The 5-day cycles will run through Friday, March 20, 2026, allowing qualifying students to earn up to $1000 in gift cards (see table below).

Cycle	Attendance Period	Payment Date
1	Jan. 5-9, 2026	Jan. 23, 2026
2	Jan. 12-16, 2026	Jan. 30, 2026
3	Jan. 20-23, 2026	Feb. 6, 2026
4	Jan. 26-30, 2026	Feb. 13, 2026
5	Feb. 2-6, 2026	Feb. 20, 2026
6	Feb. 9-13, 2026	Mar. 6, 2026
7	Feb. 23-27, 2026	Mar. 13, 2026
8	Mar. 2-6, 2026	Mar. 20, 2026
9	Mar. 9-13, 2026	Mar. 27, 2026
10	Mar. 16-20, 2026	Apr. 10, 2026

To qualify for perfect attendance, students must attend every hour of the school day. District-approved field trips or in school activities count as attendance. Attendance will be monitored through the central office team based on attendance entered into PowerSchool by your student’s teacher of record. At the end of each 5-day cycle, the central office team will run the report of all students who had perfect attendance. Then, the central office will issue the electronic gift cards to the DPSCD email address of the qualifying students.

As you should know, attending school every day matters! In fact, DPSCD students are three to five times more likely to be at and above grade-level performers on state assessments and to be college-ready if they miss 18 or fewer days of school a year. Because student average daily attendance and chronic absenteeism in our District are most challenged at the high school level, the District is thinking out of the box and offering students a direct payment for improved attendance during the months (January-March) when student attendance suffers the most and when teaching and learning is most critical. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is the name of the Attendance Incentive program?  

Perfect Attendance Pays is the name of the Attendance Incentive that will run from Monday, January 5, 2026 – Friday, March 20, 2026.

Who is eligible?  

DPSCD 9th-12th grade high school students where the District is your primary district of enrollment - excluding students who attend part-time from other districts, etc. - who have perfect attendance during a 5-day cycle, including center-based schools and the Virtual School.

When is the Attendance Incentive occurring?  

Monday, January 5, 2026 – Friday, March 20, 2026, in 5-day cycles. 

Cycle	Attendance Period	Payment Date
1	Jan. 5-9, 2026	Jan. 23, 2026
2	Jan. 12-16, 2026	Jan. 30, 2026
3	Jan. 20-23, 2026	Feb. 6, 2026
4	Jan. 26-30, 2026	Feb. 13, 2026
5	Feb. 2-6, 2026	Feb. 20, 2026
6	Feb. 9-13, 2026	Mar. 6, 2026
7	Feb. 23-27, 2026	Mar. 13, 2026
8	Mar. 2-6, 2026	Mar. 20, 2026
9	Mar. 9-13, 2026	Mar. 27, 2026
10	Mar. 16-20, 2026	Apr. 10, 2026

What is the incentive?  

Gift Cards are valued at $100 for each high school student who has perfect attendance during each 5-day cycle. 

How will the incentive be distributed?  

Students will receive a digital link to the gift card in their District email address. 

What type/brand of gift card will students receive? 

The gift cards are VISA gift cards. 

Does the incentive enter students into a raffle for gift cards? 

There is no raffle. If high school students have 5 days of perfect attendance, then the student will get $100. Students can earn $100 for each week of perfect attendance. If students have perfect attendance for the 10 weeks, then students would receive ten (10) $100 gift cards for a total of $1,000. 

Can students receive cash funds instead?  

Cash funds are not an option. Also, it is prohibited to use gift cards to extract cash through platforms such as Cash App, PayPal, Apple Cash, Venmo, or Google Wallet. If the students attempt to transfer cash from their gift card, it will result in the transaction being declined and a hold being placed on the card by the issuer. This means that students will not be able to utilize the funds without calling the issuer to remove the hold. 

How do DPSCD high school students earn the incentive?  

Students must attend each class every day during the 5-day cycle. While tardiness to a class is permitted, students may not be absent from any period in order to receive the incentive. District-approved field trips and in school activities count as regular attendance. 

If a student has an excused absence, do they count as present?  

No. Any absence excused or unexcused counts as an absence and the student will not qualify for the perfect attendance incentive during that 5-day cycle. 

What if the District is closed, how does that count toward the student attendance?  

If the District is closed, the school day does not count in the 5-day cycle (ie. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day). If there is a Districtwide closure for weather, then those closures do not count, and the students will receive perfect attendance for that day.

What if an individual school is closed or has early dismissal, how does that count toward the student attendance? 

If an individual school is closed or is dismissed early, then those attendance periods will not count against students for the Perfect Attendance Program. As long as students have perfect attendance for the remaining class periods in that cycle, they will be eligible. 

If a student is enrolled and attending a course at a Career Technical Center (CTC) (Breithaupt, Golightly or Randolph) will their attendance count as present? 

Yes. Students who are enrolled in a course at one of our CTCs must be present during their AM or PM session to qualify for perfect attendance. 

How do dual enrollment and work-based learning factor into perfect attendance?  

When a student is scheduled into dual enrollment or work-based learning courses during the school day, the teacher of record is responsible for submitting attendance into PowerSchool. If a student is present during their dual enrollment or work-based learning course during the regular school day, students should be marked as present and that attendance counts toward their perfect attendance during the two-week cycle. If a student is absent from their dual enrollment or work-based learning course, that student would be marked absent and would not qualify for the perfect attendance incentive for that two-week cycle. 

If a student does not have perfect attendance during one of the 5-day cycles, can they still earn the incentive during another 5-day cycle? 

Yes. The perfect attendance challenge resets after every 5-day cycle. 

Is there a limit to the number of incentives a student can earn? 

Yes. Students can only earn the maximum of ten incentives ($1000) because the incentive runs for 10 five-day cycles. 

How quickly after each 5-day cycle should students receive their incentive?  

The first cycle, January 5-9, 2026, will be paid on Friday, January 23, 2026. After the January 23^rd pay date, payments will be distributed every seven days with the exception of the mid-winter break and spring break.

Why is the District funding the Attendance Incentive? 

The District is funding this initiative in an effort to provide additional support to high school students, who often have many competing priorities and challenges, that can create barriers to regular attendance. 

How can a student check their attendance? 

Students can check their attendance in the PowerSchool Student Portal. For directions about how to login and view attendance, students can visit the Student Hub's How to Check Your Schedule, Grades, and Attendance page. 

Who do I contact if I have questions about the accuracy of a student's daily attendance?  

Students should start with the teacher of record where there appears to be an issue. If the concern is not addressed there, students should talk to their counselor, the attendance agent, or one of the administrators in the building (Assistant Principal, Dean, or Principal). 

What is the difference between the Attendance Retention guidance and the Attendance Incentive?  

The attendance requirements state that high school students who miss 23 or more days of a single course in a semester will not pass the course for that semester and will need to retake the course or enroll in a credit recovery course, so the guidance is focused on absences and their consequences. The Attendance Incentive is focused on daily attendance and students being present for every hour of every school day and the benefits academically and during the time of the Attendance Incentive challenge, financially. 

Do you have any tips for improving attendance? 

• Establish a Routine: Set a regular bedtime and wake-up time to ensure you get enough rest. A good night's sleep is essential for staying focused in school. 

• Prepare the Night Before: Lay out your clothes, pack your bag, and organize your materials so you're not rushed in the morning. 

• Set Goals: Remind students why attending school matters. Whether it's to achieve a dream career, improve their skills, or connect with friends, their goals can be a powerful motivator. 

• Stay Organized: Keep a calendar or planner to track assignments, projects, and important dates. Feeling prepared can reduce stress and keep you motivated to attend. 

• Seek Support: If students are struggling with anything academically or personally talk to a teacher, counselor, or trusted adult. Teachers and staff are there to help students succeed. 

• Prioritize Health: Eat breakfast, stay hydrated, and exercise regularly to keep students energy levels up throughout the day.