Every Day Counts

Executive summary

Every morning, millions of children are expected to attend school. Yet many face barriers that prevent regular attendance. School attendance problems (SAP) are no longer a marginal issue; they have become a challenge affecting classrooms in nearly every country. This report synthesises evidence from the OECD Policy Survey on School Attendance Problems, literature and international large-scale assessments to give an account of key concepts, terminology and international trends, drivers, and consequences of school absences. It also takes stock of policies and practices for supporting school attendance and distils key messages and policy pointers emerging from the evidence presented in the report.

Key concepts, terminology and international trends

To support a concise international analysis, this report uses “school attendance problems” as a broad umbrella term and “absence” as a concise term for all forms of non-attendance among students formally enrolled in primary or secondary education. However, international comparisons are challenged by varying terminology.

The language and classification used can shape responses to SAP and experiences of students and families. The terminology can influence how absences are measured, interpreted and addressed. Distinctions, such as authorised and unauthorised absences, often determine whether interventions are supportive, disciplinary or legal. These classifications can also contribute to disadvantages for marginalised students and families.

Despite these challenges, international large-scale assessments (e.g. PISA and TIMSS) provide an indication of patterns. SAP have worsened over time in several education systems since early 2010s. They are more prevalent among certain groups, including disadvantaged and immigrant students. However, results differ by context, time, and between educational levels. Moreover, measures based on student self‑reports and school leaders’ perceptions often produce different pictures, underscoring challenges in measurement and comparison. Nevertheless, post-pandemic attendance remains a concern with many education systems reporting persistently higher absence rates following the pandemic.

Drivers of school attendance problems

Absence trajectories often begin early and tend to persist. In fact, prior absences are one of the strongest predictors of future absences. Patterns can form early and can stabilise or intensify during transitions between educational stages.

Health-related challenges, disengagement and family hardship remain critical to SAP. Physical illness, mental health difficulties, boredom, low motivation and perceived lack of relevance influence individual attendance decisions. Material deprivation, unstable housing, caregiving responsibilities, parental health problems and family conflict can disrupt routines and reduce students’ capacity to attend school.

Moreover, supportive school climates, strong school belonging, positive student-teacher relationships and stable peer networks are linked to better attendance, while bullying, weak school-family communication and fragmented support can contribute to more absences.

Changing norms and institutional co-ordination can further influence SAP. Parental tolerance of minor illness absences or term-time holidays seems to have increased, weakening shared expectations about daily attendance. At the same time, weak co-ordination between schools and external services, along with gaps in mental-health and social support, can contribute to absences.

SAP are not caused by single factors but reflect interacting drivers across multiple levels. Policy frameworks and community contexts can influence absence indirectly by shaping families’ resources, school practices and access to support services. Neighbourhood safety and transport reliability can further constrain students’ attendance.

Consequences of school attendance problems

Absences reduce access to instruction, feedback, assessment and peer learning, which can weaken academic performance. SAP are also linked to weaker executive functioning, lower motivation, reduced perseverance and lower educational aspirations, all of which can further undermine students’ capacity to learn.

Effects can begin early and can intensify at key stages. Absences in primary education are linked to weaker development of foundation skills. During lower secondary education, absences can be harmful because they coincide with important academic and developmental transitions. In upper secondary education, absences remain damaging, particularly during key assessment periods.

SAP are also associated with weaker social and emotional skills, lower school connectedness and a reduced sense of belonging. Furthermore, they are linked to greater risks of internalising difficulties (e.g. anxiety), as well as externalising and risky behaviours.

Consequently, repeated absences are a strong predictor of early leaving from education and training. They can reduce the likelihood of completing upper secondary education, progressing to further or higher education, and obtaining qualifications, thereby reinforcing longer-term educational disadvantage. Limited research also links SAP to poorer labour market outcomes, especially higher risks of unemployment.

Policy and practice for supporting attendance

No single policy measure is sufficient to address SAP. Responses need to be cross-sectoral, with alignment across governance, resourcing, capacity building, school-level interventions, and monitoring and evaluation. Moreover, SAP are often concentrated among students facing disadvantage and structural barriers. Policies that address these underlying conditions through targeted supports and inclusive approaches can help improve attendance, while rigid or enforcement-heavy responses may risk reinforcing inequities if not carefully designed.

Education systems define attendance obligations through legal frameworks. These can aid accountability and access to education, but their effects depend on how they interact with supportive measures and implementation capacity. Many systems also use punitive or compliance-based measures (e.g. fines). These approaches may produce short-term effects but are unlikely to durably reduce absence on their own.

Instead, effective responses require co-ordination across schools, families, health services, social services and community actors. Teachers and school staff play an important role in shaping attendance through classroom practices, relationships and engagement. Effective responses rely on a combination of instructional adaptations, targeted supports engagement and re-integration measures. Finally, positive school climate, supportive relationships among peers, between students and school staff, and strong connections between schools and families are key protective factors for attendance.

Monitoring systems are essential, but constraints hinder the full potential of data. There is variation in coverage, frequency, granularity and linkage capacity of data. Monitoring systems are most effective when they enable early identification, timely intervention and continuous improvement.

Policy pointers

Based on the analyses presented, the report proposes seven key policy pointers:

• Respond to the drivers of absence through multifaceted, supportive and integrated responses.

• Develop strong relations and engagement in schools.

• Build strong partnerships and a shared understanding and involvement with families and students.

• Respond early and effectively before absences become entrenched.

• Use enforcement carefully within a support framework.

• Strengthen system and school capacity to act on attendance.

• Improve evaluation and learning on attendance across the system.