Flu Is at the Highest Levels in 30 Years: Student Absences and School Closures May Follow

As of January 2026, influenza rates across the U.S. are at Very High levels. In fact, these are the highest rates of influenza since 1997.¹ Just as flu levels rise across the country and in our communities, so do absences at school.

That means that everyone should clean and disinfect more right now to help prevent students from getting sick at school from now until March.

Every year influenza leads to school closures and student absences from school. We know from previous research that doing more cleaning and disinfecting can help reduce student sick absences in schools1, but we also know that teachers and staff already have more tasks than they can handle. So, if we want teachers and staff to clean and disinfect more, it needs to be worthwhile. We looked at how flu rates in the community impact student absences from school so we could provide a timeline to know exactly when to increase cleaning and disinfection efforts.

When community illnesses rise, school absences follow 1–2 weeks later

We partnered with Everyday Labs, an organization that helps school districts increase student attendance by tracking absences and sending reminders to parents. We compared student illness data from 6 California school districts over the 2024–2025 school year to California state-wide community level flu rates.²

Community-level influenza rates overlapped with student illness-related absences across all 6 school districts. The peak day for student absences from school was 1 week behind when flu rates peaked in the broader community. While there are student illnesses throughout the school, the major increase in illness-related absences in January and February can largely be attributed to influenza.

Based on our study, community influenza rates are the greatest predictor of student illness-related absences during cold and flu season. Student illnesses reach their highest level at least one week AFTER flu peaks in the community. This means schools can watch community influenza rates to know when to increase cleaning and disinfecting. To learn more about our research study, click here.

Flu is rising in the community — now is the time to clean and disinfect more

Here’s what we recommend:

Teachers:

• Daily: Use disinfecting wipes, such as Clorox Disinfecting Wipes or Clorox EcoClean Disinfecting Wipes in the middle of the day, before the kids eat lunch at their desks (or after they leave for lunch if they eat in the cafeteria).
• Once per week: Clean student and teacher electronic devices with sanitizing wipes such as Clorox Screen+ Sanitizing Wipes to kill bacteria and clean dirt and grime off electronics.

Custodial Staff: Disinfect high-touch classroom surfaces at the end of every school day. Provide disinfecting wipes to teachers when flu rates are considered “high” or “very high” and instruct teachers on how and where to use them, such as student desks, doorknobs, sink handles and water faucet handles.

We recommend you watch the influenza rates in your communities and when flu rates are considered “high,” clean and disinfect more. Here’s how to find your community influenza numbers:

• Bookmark the CDC FluView page and check it weekly to understand how flu is spreading in your community.³
• Find your local public health department website and follow their updates on flu rates.

By pairing your cleaning and disinfecting with illness rates in the community you demonstrate your expertise and build trust with the schools you work in.