How to hire an attendance clerk

How to hire an attendance clerk, step by step

Here's a step-by-step attendance clerk hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an attendance clerk job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new attendance clerk
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an attendance clerk do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The attendance clerk hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An attendance clerk's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, attendance clerks from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of attendance clerk salaries for various roles:

   Type of Attendance Clerk	Description	Hourly rate
   Attendance Clerk	General office clerks perform a variety of clerical tasks, including answering telephones, typing documents, and filing records.	$12-18
   School Secretary	A school secretary is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to support the school's operations and helping the management to develop strategies and techniques to ensure that the students receive the highest quality of learning. School secretaries manage the data management system of the institution, record students' and staff information, and assist with payroll release... Show more	$12-23
   Internship	Interns are trainees who are engaged by a company to work for them for a brief period. Interns usually use this opportunity to gain actual work experience, fulfill university or college requirements, and ensure that they are working towards the right career path for them... Show more	$11-23

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Data Entry
   • Office Equipment
   • Truancy
   • Student Data
   • Word Processing
   • Attendance Issues
   • Office Machines
   • Attendance Data
   • Front Desk
   • Clerical Support
   • Telephone Calls
   • Computer System
   • Report Cards
   • Class Rosters

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Demonstrate strong math skills in managing inmate s accounts and calmly and effectively deescalating outbursts of belligerent inmates.
   • Work with PowerSchool, Microsoft excel, internet, word and PowerPoint.
   • Maintain and run daily attendance reports.
   • Create twice monthly PowerPoint's for upcoming school activities.
   • Record all transactions relative to attendance daily using AS400 software.
   • Perform venipuncture, EKG's, oxygen administration and glucose finger sticks.

   More attendance clerk duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your attendance clerk job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An attendance clerk salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, attendance clerks' average salary in new mexico is 46% less than in colorado.
   • Seniority. Entry-level attendance clerks earn 29% less than senior-level attendance clerks.
   • Certifications. An attendance clerk with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an attendance clerk's salary.

   Average attendance clerk salary

   $15.68hourly

   $32,608 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level attendance clerk salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 5, 2025

   Average attendance clerk salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$36,054	$17
   2	Nevada	$35,572	$17
   3	Arizona	$32,413	$16
   4	Michigan	$32,000	$15
   5	Texas	$31,834	$15
   6	Ohio	$31,504	$15
   7	North Dakota	$31,334	$15
   8	Florida	$31,059	$15
   9	Montana	$30,660	$15
   10	Idaho	$29,419	$14
   11	Illinois	$29,399	$14
   12	Indiana	$29,277	$14
   13	Kansas	$24,627	$12
   14	New Mexico	$23,551	$11

   Average attendance clerk salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	City of Tucson	$40,517	$19.48	1
   2	Sheldon College	$38,884	$18.69	4
   3	Bear Valley Unified School District	$36,591	$17.59
   4	Keys Gate Charter High School	$35,276	$16.96
   5	Charter Schools USA	$34,974	$16.81
   6	American Leadership Academy	$34,822	$16.74
   7	The Davey Tree Expert Company	$34,705	$16.69
   8	Tracy Unified School District	$33,752	$16.23
   9	Peoria Unified School District	$33,700	$16.20	1
   10	School	$33,530	$16.12
   11	Billings Middle School	$32,679	$15.71	5
   12	Kellogg Elementary	$32,633	$15.69	2
   13	Richland-bean Blossom Community School Corporation	$32,558	$15.65
   14	Edison Bethune Charter School	$32,370	$15.56
   15	Weld RE-4 School District	$32,077	$15.42
   16	Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District	$32,068	$15.42
   17	East Side Union High School District	$31,958	$15.36
   18	Irving Isd	$31,869	$15.32	2
   19	Management & Training	$31,638	$15.21	6
   20	Tolleson Union High School District	$31,054	$14.93

4. Writing an attendance clerk job description

   An attendance clerk job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an attendance clerk job description:

   Attendance clerk job description example

   Secretary/Clerical (School Sites)/Attendance Clerk
   
   Date Posted:
   5/31/2022
   
   Location:
   NW Classen High School
   Reports To: Building Administrator
   FSLA Status: Non-Exempt
   Compensation: 134 (Salary determined by experience)
   Work Days: 201
   FTE: 7.5 hours per day
   
   Attendance Clerk
   Position Summary:
   Collects and maintains student attendance information at the assigned site; meeting district, state and federal requirements relating to attendance processes including parent notification; preparing and distributing attendance reports and materials; providing clerical support at school site; and communicating various information regarding activities.
   Essential Duties:
   Receives, Inputs and logs all student absences and tardiness, into an automated system. Issues passes to students that arrive late to school and enters into computer program with reason for tardiness. Calls parents to notify about and determine reason for student's absence. Requests and give routine information to parents and school district personnel regarding absences and tardiness. Prepares and mails letters to parents notifying them of their child's excessive absences and/or lateness. Distributes daily Do Not Admit (DNA) list to building administrators and teaching staff and maintains copies in office. Retrieves data and compiles information from manual and automated files for the preparation of routine reports and correspondence regarding attendance. Prepares daily, weekly and/or monthly attendance reports and submits to designated administrators or school district personnel. Issues and processes all requests for early dismissal and ensures parental consent. Requests homework for students that are absent or in ISS from teachers to give to students. Promotes the success of substitute teachers by printing off daily attendance sheets and enter attendance into TERMS for substitute teachers. Maintains files of school district attendance records. May distribute medications to students when no nurse is present at the school. Performs various clerical duties including answering phones, greeting and screening visitors, making copies, etc. Performs other duties as assigned.
   Job Specifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Minimum Qualifications (Knowledge, Skills and/or Abilities Required):
   High school diploma or GED required PLUS one of the following Associates degree or higher Completed at least two (2) years (48 credit hours) of study at an institution of higher education Passed the OGET Passed the ETS Parapro Assessment (with a score of 455 or better) or the WorkKeys Assessment (with a score of 4 or better on all three parts) Bilingual interpretation and translation skills preferred. Good knowledge of office terminology, procedures and equipment. Working knowledge of computer software applications to produce various formats, such as correspondence and reports. Ability to understand and carry out oral and written instructions. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, parents and school personnel. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to use computer applications such as spreadsheets, word processing, email and database software (Microsoft Office Suite). Accuracy; discretion; tact; courtesy; good judgment; reliability. Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:
   The working conditions and physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. Able to sit and/or stand for extended periods of time, Exhibit manual dexterity to enter data into a computer, Ability to see and read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids, Hear and understand speech at normal classroom levels, outdoors and on the telephone, Speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal classrooms, outdoors and on the telephone, Physical agility, able to bend, stoop, sit on the floor, climb stairs, walk and reach Ability to lift, push, pull up to 25 pounds

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find attendance clerks for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your attendance clerk job on Zippia to find and recruit attendance clerk candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit attendance clerks, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new attendance clerk

   Once you have selected a candidate for the attendance clerk position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an attendance clerk?