Summarised by Centrist
School attendance in New Zealand, measured by the 90% rule, reveals concerning trends. Since 2015, attendance has been steadily declining, with a significant drop observed across all four terms in 2022. Term 3, 2023, saw attendance at just 46%, mirroring the figure from the previous year and marking a considerable drop from 2019, 2020, and 2021 term 3 attendance levels. The last two years include several COVID waves, and schools continue to urge ‘stay at home’ if symptomatic.
Key questions arise, including how various factors, such as the COVID-19 response, education policies, teacher strikes, school closures, cost of living pressures, and other social influences, contribute to declining attendance.
