‘Trending downwards': Shock as school attendance drops below pre-Covid levels
Across Australia, the attendance rate for students in primary schools and high schools was 88.3 per cent, a slight dip from the same period the year before.
However, attendance levels – the percentage of students with attendance at or above 90 per cent – show a different story.
According to the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (
ACARA
), the 2024 attendance levels of students attending at least 90 per cent of their classes across government, Catholic and independent schools were 59.8 per cent – a sharp decline from the 74.9 per cent attendance levels in 2019.
School attendance levels vary in each state, though attendance rates are generally higher in big cities compared with regional areas.
There's also a significant gap with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students attending school compared with non-Indigenous students, though these figures have narrowed slightly by 0.7 percentage points.
A Department of Education spokesman said the increase in students wagging classes was concerning, and 'every day of school missed is a day of learning lost'.
'Regular school attendance is critical to successful student outcomes and engagement,' they told NewsWire.
While the pandemic had a role to play in this figure, they said the 'national school attendance rates have trended downwards over the past decade'.
'The Covid-19 pandemic further exacerbated this trend,' they said, adding 'while national student attendance rates have improved from the lows of the pandemic, they are yet to return to pre-Covid levels'.
'They are not at an all time low,' they said.
There were several reasons for the sudden decline in attendance levels, including 'anxiety and worry', Australian Primary Principals Association president Angela Falkenberg told NewsWire.
'Schools look at each student and their family to understand the reasons for non-attendance,' she said, explaining schools will complete 'conversations' with kids and parents to explain their absences.
While she said it was 'vital' for schools to work with parents and families to ensure children were in class, Ms Falkenberg admitted that this 'may not always be a reality'.
'Some (truancy) can be due to anxiety and worry which can result in poor sleep,' she said.
Another reason why students may not be able to attend school comes down to issues at home, including 'family discord, poor mental health, food and housing insecurity and even transport to school'.
'Some might be due to children's friendship struggles,' they said.
'Schools can work with the child on managing conflict (or) joining in a game.'
In April 2024, the Senate Education and Employment References Committee issued an inquiry into the national trend of school refusal and related matters.
Following the inquiry, the Department of Education spokesman said the education ministers 'agreed that wellbeing for learning and engagement is one of the priority areas of the agreements, and reforms include initiatives which support student engagement in learning, for example through greater student participation, attendance, inclusion and/or enhanced school-family engagement'.
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Two generations, one vision: shaping the future with respect for Aboriginal roots
IN order to move forward, Australia has to look back. As the country marks the 50th year of NAIDOC Week celebrations this week, the theme, 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy', speaks both to the future and the deep cultural roots that have guided Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since time immemorial. They might be from different generations, but Gumilaroi man Bob Morgan and Gomeroi and Ngiyampaa man Jayden Kitchener-Waters share a determination to protect and pass on cultural knowledge, identity and purpose. University of Newcastle professor Dr Bob Morgan is a highly-respected Aboriginal educator and researcher who grew up on the western plains. "I guess the early years growing up in Walgett ... there was a part of me as a kid that didn't really fully understand what was happening in our community," he said. "As I grew older, I realised living in the shanties on the riverbank and being isolated from the white community, there was something totally wrong with what we were experiencing." Dr Morgan was 16 when the Freedom Riders came to town. University of Sydney students, led by the institution's first Aboriginal student, Charles Perkins, rode through regional NSW highlighting racial segregation and social injustice. The visit triggered something in Dr Morgan, a drive and determination to change conditions for Aboriginal people for the better. "I often look back and reflect on my early years, and even though we lived in very, very difficult circumstances and poverty, there was lots of happiness," he said. "We were surrounded by loved ones, our families, kinship structures and were people of the country and connected to the country." Dr Morgan said that connection to country is pivotal to his identity, just like the songlines, stories and cultural knowledge that were handed down by knowledge keepers and Elders in his community. He said NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate what it truly means to be part of the oldest surviving, continuous culture on the planet - but the work is far from over. "We've been really good at dealing with the symbols of reconciliation, but the structural and systemic changes and the societal changes that need to occur, it's still unfinished business," he said. Dr Morgan said the next generation will play a critical role in carrying the torch. "I'm so excited about some of the potential leaders that are emerging, not just through the academic system at universities, but those that are embedded in culture, practising culture and taking kids out on country," he said. "Leadership is so critical in this space, but it has to combine the wisdom of Elders and knowledge keepers and those young ones that are striving to be a part of the change. "So how do you connect those two critical elements of culture, is what stands before us." Jayden Kitchener-Waters is the next generation. Originally from Tamworth and now living in Newcastle, he's a senior policy and research officer with the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust and a founding director of Gambadul Aboriginal Corporation. Mr Kitchener-Waters leads community consultations across the south coast, supports language revitalisation across the state and recently completed the 2025 NSW Parliament Young Aboriginal Leaders Program. He grew up in a family that was "culturally grounded" and said he has always been proud of his identity. "I always grew up dancing, being encouraged to speak language by my family," he said. "Statewide, there is obviously a massive loss of language, and I use the word 'lost' very lightly; these languages were stolen from us. "I was brought up with the cultural values of respect, humility and love; knowing my story, I'm able to share that with other people, share the truth of our culture." Mr Kitchener-Waters said this year's NAIDOC Week theme is about acknowledging the leadership and values of their ancestors. "Our old people were so staunch, but graceful and humble, and they stood up for what was right," he said. "I think this theme is about continuing that legacy and telling their stories with those values at the forefront." Both Dr Morgan and Mr Kitchener-Waters said truth-telling will be crucial to true reconciliation in Australia. "I think young people are now in a position to be sharing true stories about what happened to our people, and not doing that in a way that throws people off or makes people feel guilty and angry," Mr Kitchener-Waters said. "People were taken from their families, displaced, mass genocides. I think until we properly recognise that, then you can't move forward in reconciliation." Dr Morgan said Aboriginal people are not asking for anything more than others seem to "have as a birthright". "That goes to issues of meaninglessness, alienation and loss of culture and purpose, we can't do this work, the social and restorative justice work, without non-Indigenous people," he said. "I have really enjoyed that journey of walking with non-Indigenous people to bring about change and transformation." Both said valuable lessons could be learned from Australia's past, and from the cultural knowledge and ways of their ancestors. Mr Kitchener-Waters said the book The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon is a great place to start. "Those old values are still completely relevant and can help everyone in modern-day society," he said. "If everyone starts living with cultural values of respect, love and humility and looking after Mother Earth, I can see nothing but positive things for everyone if we live with those old values." The NAIDOC journey started as a movement for recognition and rights led by Indigenous communities who wanted a future built on justice and equality. Over the last five decades, it has grown into a national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year, Newcastle will host the first NAIDOC Community Awards for the region on August 2 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Awabakal Country. On Monday, July 7, the Newcastle NAIDOC Community Festival will kick off at Civic Park from 9am with a welcome and flag raising before a march to Foreshore Park for entertainment, stalls, rides, food and drink. The event is free and runs from 10am to 2pm, featuring a main stage, Dreamtime Tent, dancing circle, Elders Tent, rides, a sensory zone and more. IN order to move forward, Australia has to look back. As the country marks the 50th year of NAIDOC Week celebrations this week, the theme, 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy', speaks both to the future and the deep cultural roots that have guided Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since time immemorial. They might be from different generations, but Gumilaroi man Bob Morgan and Gomeroi and Ngiyampaa man Jayden Kitchener-Waters share a determination to protect and pass on cultural knowledge, identity and purpose. University of Newcastle professor Dr Bob Morgan is a highly-respected Aboriginal educator and researcher who grew up on the western plains. "I guess the early years growing up in Walgett ... there was a part of me as a kid that didn't really fully understand what was happening in our community," he said. "As I grew older, I realised living in the shanties on the riverbank and being isolated from the white community, there was something totally wrong with what we were experiencing." Dr Morgan was 16 when the Freedom Riders came to town. University of Sydney students, led by the institution's first Aboriginal student, Charles Perkins, rode through regional NSW highlighting racial segregation and social injustice. The visit triggered something in Dr Morgan, a drive and determination to change conditions for Aboriginal people for the better. "I often look back and reflect on my early years, and even though we lived in very, very difficult circumstances and poverty, there was lots of happiness," he said. "We were surrounded by loved ones, our families, kinship structures and were people of the country and connected to the country." Dr Morgan said that connection to country is pivotal to his identity, just like the songlines, stories and cultural knowledge that were handed down by knowledge keepers and Elders in his community. He said NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate what it truly means to be part of the oldest surviving, continuous culture on the planet - but the work is far from over. "We've been really good at dealing with the symbols of reconciliation, but the structural and systemic changes and the societal changes that need to occur, it's still unfinished business," he said. Dr Morgan said the next generation will play a critical role in carrying the torch. "I'm so excited about some of the potential leaders that are emerging, not just through the academic system at universities, but those that are embedded in culture, practising culture and taking kids out on country," he said. "Leadership is so critical in this space, but it has to combine the wisdom of Elders and knowledge keepers and those young ones that are striving to be a part of the change. "So how do you connect those two critical elements of culture, is what stands before us." Jayden Kitchener-Waters is the next generation. Originally from Tamworth and now living in Newcastle, he's a senior policy and research officer with the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust and a founding director of Gambadul Aboriginal Corporation. Mr Kitchener-Waters leads community consultations across the south coast, supports language revitalisation across the state and recently completed the 2025 NSW Parliament Young Aboriginal Leaders Program. He grew up in a family that was "culturally grounded" and said he has always been proud of his identity. "I always grew up dancing, being encouraged to speak language by my family," he said. "Statewide, there is obviously a massive loss of language, and I use the word 'lost' very lightly; these languages were stolen from us. "I was brought up with the cultural values of respect, humility and love; knowing my story, I'm able to share that with other people, share the truth of our culture." Mr Kitchener-Waters said this year's NAIDOC Week theme is about acknowledging the leadership and values of their ancestors. "Our old people were so staunch, but graceful and humble, and they stood up for what was right," he said. "I think this theme is about continuing that legacy and telling their stories with those values at the forefront." Both Dr Morgan and Mr Kitchener-Waters said truth-telling will be crucial to true reconciliation in Australia. "I think young people are now in a position to be sharing true stories about what happened to our people, and not doing that in a way that throws people off or makes people feel guilty and angry," Mr Kitchener-Waters said. "People were taken from their families, displaced, mass genocides. I think until we properly recognise that, then you can't move forward in reconciliation." Dr Morgan said Aboriginal people are not asking for anything more than others seem to "have as a birthright". "That goes to issues of meaninglessness, alienation and loss of culture and purpose, we can't do this work, the social and restorative justice work, without non-Indigenous people," he said. "I have really enjoyed that journey of walking with non-Indigenous people to bring about change and transformation." Both said valuable lessons could be learned from Australia's past, and from the cultural knowledge and ways of their ancestors. Mr Kitchener-Waters said the book The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon is a great place to start. "Those old values are still completely relevant and can help everyone in modern-day society," he said. "If everyone starts living with cultural values of respect, love and humility and looking after Mother Earth, I can see nothing but positive things for everyone if we live with those old values." The NAIDOC journey started as a movement for recognition and rights led by Indigenous communities who wanted a future built on justice and equality. Over the last five decades, it has grown into a national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year, Newcastle will host the first NAIDOC Community Awards for the region on August 2 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Awabakal Country. On Monday, July 7, the Newcastle NAIDOC Community Festival will kick off at Civic Park from 9am with a welcome and flag raising before a march to Foreshore Park for entertainment, stalls, rides, food and drink. The event is free and runs from 10am to 2pm, featuring a main stage, Dreamtime Tent, dancing circle, Elders Tent, rides, a sensory zone and more. IN order to move forward, Australia has to look back. As the country marks the 50th year of NAIDOC Week celebrations this week, the theme, 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy', speaks both to the future and the deep cultural roots that have guided Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since time immemorial. They might be from different generations, but Gumilaroi man Bob Morgan and Gomeroi and Ngiyampaa man Jayden Kitchener-Waters share a determination to protect and pass on cultural knowledge, identity and purpose. University of Newcastle professor Dr Bob Morgan is a highly-respected Aboriginal educator and researcher who grew up on the western plains. "I guess the early years growing up in Walgett ... there was a part of me as a kid that didn't really fully understand what was happening in our community," he said. "As I grew older, I realised living in the shanties on the riverbank and being isolated from the white community, there was something totally wrong with what we were experiencing." Dr Morgan was 16 when the Freedom Riders came to town. University of Sydney students, led by the institution's first Aboriginal student, Charles Perkins, rode through regional NSW highlighting racial segregation and social injustice. The visit triggered something in Dr Morgan, a drive and determination to change conditions for Aboriginal people for the better. "I often look back and reflect on my early years, and even though we lived in very, very difficult circumstances and poverty, there was lots of happiness," he said. "We were surrounded by loved ones, our families, kinship structures and were people of the country and connected to the country." Dr Morgan said that connection to country is pivotal to his identity, just like the songlines, stories and cultural knowledge that were handed down by knowledge keepers and Elders in his community. He said NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate what it truly means to be part of the oldest surviving, continuous culture on the planet - but the work is far from over. "We've been really good at dealing with the symbols of reconciliation, but the structural and systemic changes and the societal changes that need to occur, it's still unfinished business," he said. Dr Morgan said the next generation will play a critical role in carrying the torch. "I'm so excited about some of the potential leaders that are emerging, not just through the academic system at universities, but those that are embedded in culture, practising culture and taking kids out on country," he said. "Leadership is so critical in this space, but it has to combine the wisdom of Elders and knowledge keepers and those young ones that are striving to be a part of the change. "So how do you connect those two critical elements of culture, is what stands before us." Jayden Kitchener-Waters is the next generation. Originally from Tamworth and now living in Newcastle, he's a senior policy and research officer with the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust and a founding director of Gambadul Aboriginal Corporation. Mr Kitchener-Waters leads community consultations across the south coast, supports language revitalisation across the state and recently completed the 2025 NSW Parliament Young Aboriginal Leaders Program. He grew up in a family that was "culturally grounded" and said he has always been proud of his identity. "I always grew up dancing, being encouraged to speak language by my family," he said. "Statewide, there is obviously a massive loss of language, and I use the word 'lost' very lightly; these languages were stolen from us. "I was brought up with the cultural values of respect, humility and love; knowing my story, I'm able to share that with other people, share the truth of our culture." Mr Kitchener-Waters said this year's NAIDOC Week theme is about acknowledging the leadership and values of their ancestors. "Our old people were so staunch, but graceful and humble, and they stood up for what was right," he said. "I think this theme is about continuing that legacy and telling their stories with those values at the forefront." Both Dr Morgan and Mr Kitchener-Waters said truth-telling will be crucial to true reconciliation in Australia. "I think young people are now in a position to be sharing true stories about what happened to our people, and not doing that in a way that throws people off or makes people feel guilty and angry," Mr Kitchener-Waters said. "People were taken from their families, displaced, mass genocides. I think until we properly recognise that, then you can't move forward in reconciliation." Dr Morgan said Aboriginal people are not asking for anything more than others seem to "have as a birthright". "That goes to issues of meaninglessness, alienation and loss of culture and purpose, we can't do this work, the social and restorative justice work, without non-Indigenous people," he said. "I have really enjoyed that journey of walking with non-Indigenous people to bring about change and transformation." Both said valuable lessons could be learned from Australia's past, and from the cultural knowledge and ways of their ancestors. Mr Kitchener-Waters said the book The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon is a great place to start. "Those old values are still completely relevant and can help everyone in modern-day society," he said. "If everyone starts living with cultural values of respect, love and humility and looking after Mother Earth, I can see nothing but positive things for everyone if we live with those old values." The NAIDOC journey started as a movement for recognition and rights led by Indigenous communities who wanted a future built on justice and equality. Over the last five decades, it has grown into a national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year, Newcastle will host the first NAIDOC Community Awards for the region on August 2 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Awabakal Country. On Monday, July 7, the Newcastle NAIDOC Community Festival will kick off at Civic Park from 9am with a welcome and flag raising before a march to Foreshore Park for entertainment, stalls, rides, food and drink. The event is free and runs from 10am to 2pm, featuring a main stage, Dreamtime Tent, dancing circle, Elders Tent, rides, a sensory zone and more. IN order to move forward, Australia has to look back. As the country marks the 50th year of NAIDOC Week celebrations this week, the theme, 'The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy', speaks both to the future and the deep cultural roots that have guided Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people since time immemorial. They might be from different generations, but Gumilaroi man Bob Morgan and Gomeroi and Ngiyampaa man Jayden Kitchener-Waters share a determination to protect and pass on cultural knowledge, identity and purpose. University of Newcastle professor Dr Bob Morgan is a highly-respected Aboriginal educator and researcher who grew up on the western plains. "I guess the early years growing up in Walgett ... there was a part of me as a kid that didn't really fully understand what was happening in our community," he said. "As I grew older, I realised living in the shanties on the riverbank and being isolated from the white community, there was something totally wrong with what we were experiencing." Dr Morgan was 16 when the Freedom Riders came to town. University of Sydney students, led by the institution's first Aboriginal student, Charles Perkins, rode through regional NSW highlighting racial segregation and social injustice. The visit triggered something in Dr Morgan, a drive and determination to change conditions for Aboriginal people for the better. "I often look back and reflect on my early years, and even though we lived in very, very difficult circumstances and poverty, there was lots of happiness," he said. "We were surrounded by loved ones, our families, kinship structures and were people of the country and connected to the country." Dr Morgan said that connection to country is pivotal to his identity, just like the songlines, stories and cultural knowledge that were handed down by knowledge keepers and Elders in his community. He said NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate what it truly means to be part of the oldest surviving, continuous culture on the planet - but the work is far from over. "We've been really good at dealing with the symbols of reconciliation, but the structural and systemic changes and the societal changes that need to occur, it's still unfinished business," he said. Dr Morgan said the next generation will play a critical role in carrying the torch. "I'm so excited about some of the potential leaders that are emerging, not just through the academic system at universities, but those that are embedded in culture, practising culture and taking kids out on country," he said. "Leadership is so critical in this space, but it has to combine the wisdom of Elders and knowledge keepers and those young ones that are striving to be a part of the change. "So how do you connect those two critical elements of culture, is what stands before us." Jayden Kitchener-Waters is the next generation. Originally from Tamworth and now living in Newcastle, he's a senior policy and research officer with the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust and a founding director of Gambadul Aboriginal Corporation. Mr Kitchener-Waters leads community consultations across the south coast, supports language revitalisation across the state and recently completed the 2025 NSW Parliament Young Aboriginal Leaders Program. He grew up in a family that was "culturally grounded" and said he has always been proud of his identity. "I always grew up dancing, being encouraged to speak language by my family," he said. "Statewide, there is obviously a massive loss of language, and I use the word 'lost' very lightly; these languages were stolen from us. "I was brought up with the cultural values of respect, humility and love; knowing my story, I'm able to share that with other people, share the truth of our culture." Mr Kitchener-Waters said this year's NAIDOC Week theme is about acknowledging the leadership and values of their ancestors. "Our old people were so staunch, but graceful and humble, and they stood up for what was right," he said. "I think this theme is about continuing that legacy and telling their stories with those values at the forefront." Both Dr Morgan and Mr Kitchener-Waters said truth-telling will be crucial to true reconciliation in Australia. "I think young people are now in a position to be sharing true stories about what happened to our people, and not doing that in a way that throws people off or makes people feel guilty and angry," Mr Kitchener-Waters said. "People were taken from their families, displaced, mass genocides. I think until we properly recognise that, then you can't move forward in reconciliation." Dr Morgan said Aboriginal people are not asking for anything more than others seem to "have as a birthright". "That goes to issues of meaninglessness, alienation and loss of culture and purpose, we can't do this work, the social and restorative justice work, without non-Indigenous people," he said. "I have really enjoyed that journey of walking with non-Indigenous people to bring about change and transformation." Both said valuable lessons could be learned from Australia's past, and from the cultural knowledge and ways of their ancestors. Mr Kitchener-Waters said the book The Dreaming Path by Paul Callaghan and Uncle Paul Gordon is a great place to start. "Those old values are still completely relevant and can help everyone in modern-day society," he said. "If everyone starts living with cultural values of respect, love and humility and looking after Mother Earth, I can see nothing but positive things for everyone if we live with those old values." The NAIDOC journey started as a movement for recognition and rights led by Indigenous communities who wanted a future built on justice and equality. Over the last five decades, it has grown into a national celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year, Newcastle will host the first NAIDOC Community Awards for the region on August 2 at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre on Awabakal Country. On Monday, July 7, the Newcastle NAIDOC Community Festival will kick off at Civic Park from 9am with a welcome and flag raising before a march to Foreshore Park for entertainment, stalls, rides, food and drink. The event is free and runs from 10am to 2pm, featuring a main stage, Dreamtime Tent, dancing circle, Elders Tent, rides, a sensory zone and more.
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