School attendance matters because every day students miss represents lost learning time. Given the events of the last few years, it will likely come as no surprise that school attendance rates in Australia have shown turbulence during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.
These trends haven’t gone unnoticed. In 2023, the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) was commissioned by Education Ministers to investigate the causes of the decline in student attendance and to provide advice on evidence-based approaches to support and strengthen attendance.
In undertaking this task, we reviewed school attendance data from the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) and collaborated with researchers from Deakin University and the University of Melbourne. Together, we produced 2 rapid literature reviews:
- Barriers to School Attendance and Reasons for Student Absence
- Approaches to Supporting Attendance and Addressing Absence.
These literature reviews, along with our analysis of ACARA attendance data, formed the basis of our report, School Attendance: New Insights from AERO. The report outlines factors influencing school attendance and suggests evidence-based strategies to boost attendance.
What the data tells us
Our analysis of school attendance data found that:
- Student attendance rates have been declining since 2016, with the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbating this trend.
- Attendance rates improved in 2023 compared to 2022 but remain below pre-pandemic levels. ACARA’s latest release of attendance data indicates that this was still the case in 2024.
- Consistently lower attendance rates were observed for students in remote locations and priority equity groups.
- The COVID-19 pandemic seemed to have a greater impact on attendance for students from priority equity groups, including First Nations students and students from remote and very remote areas of Australia.
What the literature tells us
Our review of Australian and international studies into school absences found that the causes can be varied, complex and interrelated. However, barriers to attendance can be grouped into 3 general categories:
- school factors (e.g., unsupportive teacher–student relationships or feeling unsafe on school grounds)
- student factors (e.g., poor general health or mental health conditions)
- family factors (e.g., economic disadvantage or lower levels of parental education).
For First Nations students, the report highlights additional factors, such as the extent to which the education system meets their needs and acknowledges their cultural values. Our findings indicate that fostering cultural understanding, implementing culturally responsive teaching practices and supporting language needs can help improve attendance among First Nations students.
What we can do to support school attendance
Firstly, it’s important to note that much work is already being done across Australia to reverse the trend of declining school attendance. We’re not talking about starting from scratch – it’s about ensuring that the steps taken are as effective as possible and refining efforts based on the evidence, where necessary.
To that end, our investigation identified several promising approaches to supporting strong school attendance. One promising approach that can be applied to all students is Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (also known as ‘PBIS’). Other promising approaches that offer increasingly targeted support include:
- mentoring programs (e.g., Check & Connect)
- multicomponent attendance programs
- meal provision (e.g., breakfast programs)
- parental communication strategies (e.g., letters to parents).
Our investigation aimed to support Australian states and territories with the complex task of maximising school attendance by highlighting the practices evidence tells us work most effectively. By working together, we can ensure that as many students as possible are attending school and receiving a quality education.
You can find more information about barriers to school attendance in Australia and how to reduce these in: