This correlation study investigated the relationship between pre-kindergarten absenteeism and early literacy assessment scores of kindergarten students, focusing on gender, parents' education level, and school setting. The population consisted of 220 pre-kindergarten students from the Midlands region of South Carolina who attended a Title I and a non-Title I school during the 2021-2022 academic year. The researcher examined how these students would perform when they entered kindergarten in the 2022-2023 academic year. Studies show pre-K absenteeism negatively affects kindergarten students' early literacy assessment scores. Children in pre-kindergarten are more prone to missing school than other elementary grades, underscoring the importance of addressing absenteeism at this developmental stage. The STAR Early Literacy Assessment was used to collect results, and data was analyzed using Simple Correlation and Simple Regression. However, the results showed no significant difference (p>0.005) between the number of pre-K absences and the STAR Early Literacy scores of kindergarten students, regardless of gender, parents' educational level, or school setting. This could be due to various factors, including the small sample size or the need for more nuanced absenteeism measures in Pre-Kindergarten. Overall, this study highlighted the need for further research into the relationship between absenteeism and early literacy and the importance of addressing absenteeism in pre-kindergarten to ensure that students are ready when they enter Kindergarten. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]