This qualitative study examined chronic student lateness within a suburban middle school context in Northeastern United States via an ethnographic exploration of the frequently-late student, the attendance office, and school staff. Qualitative analyses of the students' most frequently offered reasons for lateness served to triangulate the ethnographic data.

The study's primary purpose was to describe the chronically late-to-school middle level students' experiences from their perspective. In addition, staff perceptions of the causes for student lateness; the interaction between school personnel and student relationships regarding student lateness; and the impact of the district's attendance policy implementation on student lateness were explored.

The research design was that of a bounded case study using a grounded theory approach. The data include observations in the attendance office, semi-structured interviews with fourteen chronically-late students, seven staff members, and archival data, collected over the course of two academic years, 2005 through 2007, to ensure that the "lateness" data were not restricted to a single year in the life of the school. The students, dubbed "Frequent Flyers", were chosen based on their chronic lateness to school, observed behavior, as well as their willingness [including that of their parents] to be interviewed. Staff were chosen based upon their level of involvement with student lateness and their willingness to be interviewed.

A major overall finding was that the structure and function of this particular middle school relating to issues of lateness actually facilitates persistent and chronic lateness on the part of a specific population of students. Results highlight the importance of tracking lateness over the students' academic progression and using the data monthly, quarterly, and annually to create systems that would motivate students to be on time to school. The dominant reasons for chronic lateness could be described as the students' lack of self-regulation as well as diverse family influences. Findings suggested a relationship between institutional practices and policies and student perceptions regarding self-regulation and family involvement. The perceptions and concerns of the chronically-late student are crucial for understanding the dilemma of school lateness and need to be addressed for significant learning to be made possible.