Attendance in New Zealand Schools in 2009

Analysis of School Factors

Absence and Type of School

Findings from past surveys indicated that absences are more prevalent at the secondary school level than in primary, intermediate or composite schools. Figure 1 shows the variation in absence types associated with the type of school.

Figure 1: Absences and school type [click image to enlarge]

Figure 1 shows that overall absence rates are very similar, including proportions of justified and unjustified absence, for full primary, contributing and intermediate schools. The overall absence rate for special schools is close to the national average but there is a much higher proportion of justified absences.

As in previous surveys the rate of unjustified absences are higher in secondary schools.

The results are similar to 2006 for justified and unjustified absences for all school types.

Absence and School Decile

As for previous surveys justified absences are similar across all deciles but total absence is lower in high decile schools due to lower rates of unjustified absences.

Figure 2: Absence type by school decile [click image to enlarge]