School attendance for Term 2 is up five percentage points on the same period last year – the first time any school term’s attendance rate has been higher than the same term pre-COVID, latest data has revealed.
In Term 2, 58.4% of students attended school regularly – up from 53.4% in Term 2 last year, and an increase of 11.4 percentage points on Term 2 of 2023.
“This is the first time that any term’s attendance has been higher than the same term pre covid,” said Associate Education Minister, David Seymour.
“Every region has recorded an increase in attendance. Taranaki, Whanganui, and Manawatū in the central North Island for recorded the biggest improvement, of 7.2 percentage points over the same term last year.
“There is also improvement at the other end of the scale. Chronic absence has declined from 9.6% last year and 12.5% in the same term in 2023 to 9.3% this year. Often children with complex needs are chronically absent, and it’s great to see these figures continue to improve.
“We’re not complacent, though, we’ve got to do more. For example, phases of our attendance action plan are soon to come into force. It will be mandatory for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026.”
Mr Seymour said prosecution was also a reality for parents who refuse to send their children to school and ignore supports to ensure their children are in class and learning.
“The Ministry of Education is proactively contacting attendance service providers and schools to ensure parents in this category are referred to the Ministry,” he said.
The Minister said prosecution will only occur the most serious of cases, where all other options have been exhausted and parents / guardians are wilfully not engaging. Students and families’ personal circumstances will be taken into account when the prosecution decision is taken, he said.
“At the start of next year frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data driven in their responses. To achieve this, they will soon have access to a new case management system and better data monitoring, and their contracts will be more closely monitored.”
Budget 2025 included a $140 million package to improve attendance over the next four years.
“Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves,” Mr Seymour says.
Attendance data can be found here Attendance | Education Counts.
