Friday, April 3 was the first time in a long time that tri-town schools have been open on Good Friday, following the Joint School Committee's decision last June.

According to figures released by the superintendent's office, there was a clear uptick in absences on April 3.

The average absentee rate is four to six percent. Rochester Memorial School saw the lowest percentage of absentees at 10 percent versus 21 percent at the high school (see charts below.)

Superintendent Doug White said he didn't have any expectations for Friday's attendance numbers, but absences did not hinder classroom instruction.

Rochester Memorial School had the highest absent staff members at 11 versus a low of four absent staff at the high school.

Not all of those numbers were teaching staf. Additionally, not all of the absences were Good Friday-related, said White.

“We were able to provide strong education in every classroom today,” he said.

Last year, there was a lot of debate, both among school committee members and the public on the wisdom of holding class on the religious holiday.

A petition that opposed the action circulated around the community and gained at least 700 signatures.

Some school committee members were also against the change, questioning the cost to the system and to students' education if many were absent.

“It’s my opinion that there will be a significant amount of people that will not work that day as well as students,” said former committee member Cary Humphrey. “I feel like that puts a burden on the school district, cost-wise, safety-wise.”

Several people also said the same thing was attempted two decades ago without success.

Others, however, had confidence that holding school on Good Friday would workout in the long run, as it has in other districts.

“Next year, yes, it could potentially cause a problem, but I think if it’s something we were to continue over time, that would not be the case,” said Joseph Scott last June.

Whether or not these numbers will affect future calendars is still a question.

The school committee has yet to approve the 2015-16 calendar.

“It’s a data point,” said White. “It’s information we didn’t have previously.”

Several school committee members were contacted for this story, but did not respond in time for publication.