A push for attendance improvement in the state of Iowa is a push to improve student graduation rates and maximize student success after high school. The purpose of this study was to identify how principals' perceptions of their attendance policies and enforcement of these policies affect student attendance and outcomes toward graduation. A researcher-developed survey instrument was used to collect data from Iowa public high school principals. A five-point Likert-type scale was used to measure respondents' perceptions as to factors that influence attendance and graduation rates within current attendance policies. Survey items were written to align with common themes that were established within the research literature for each of the independent variables in the three main research questions: perception of policy clarity, external attendance factors, and internal attendance factors. The independent variables tied to the research questions aligned with identified themes. The three variables that tested the research questions were not significant predictors, but the overall model explained significant variability in graduation rates. This study suggests that school attendance, as well as school size, are important factors associated with graduation rates. Although the aspects of the attendance policies reported by high school principals in this study did not predict graduation rates, daily attendance rates did. This suggests that policies that have an impact on daily attendance could have the potential to influence graduation rates. Therefore, it is recommended that administrators work to review policies related to attendance. According to the literature reviewed, one policy adjustment that administrators should consider is to allow for leeway or capability to not hold students to a hard and fast rule that the policy must fit all situations. While it is important to attend school in order to learn, sometimes it is necessary to consider the reasons that attendance may be difficult and the barriers that may plague an otherwise ideal student. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]