Australia’s long-term decline in attendance is of increasing concern for educators, researchers and policy-makers nationwide. Declines were evident before 2020, and the health and education disruptions of the pandemic exacerbated those declines. In 2022, average absence rates stood at 12.2% for primary students and 15.3% for secondary students, equating to the loss of up to 6 weeks of school in a year. Significantly, around half of Australian students in Years 7–10 and 45% in Years 1–6 missed over 10% of the school year.

This report summarises discussions with professionals from various fields, including education, law, psychology, sociology, history, and social work. These interactions spanned two countries, New Zealand and the United States, and revealed diverse and sometimes contradictory perspectives on the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to school attendance issues, especially in the post-COVID era. The report focuses on collating these findings and translating them into recommendations for the Australian context.