School absenteeism is rising in Sweden, and about one in five students miss at least 15 percent of their instructional time. Absence rates are even higher among older students.

Despite this, we know too little about how students are affected by absenteeism. Previous research has mainly examined why students are absent, while the consequences for grades and future studies remain unclear.

For the first time in Sweden, researchers will provide a large-scale, data-driven picture of how different forms of school absenteeism affect students’ short- and long-term educational outcomes.

The research team will analyze detailed individual-level data from up to 40 percent of students in Swedish compulsory schools between 2017 and 2024, to understand how different patterns of absence relate to grades, eligibility for upper secondary education, and later studies. The project combines descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, and fixed-effects models.

The results are expected to:

• Provide the first large-scale causal evidence on school absenteeism in Sweden
• Identify particularly harmful patterns of absence, such as seasonal, weekly, or subject-specific absenteeism
• Support the development of early warning systems and targeted interventions
• Show how a standardized absence reporting system can work in practice and pave the way for a future national register.

The research group brings expertise in education, sociology, and economics, and has extensive experience working with register data and in school environments.

Research team

• Ema Demir, Principal Investigator (CELE, Stockholm School of Economics)
• Ebba Henrekson, Researcher (CELE)
• Iman Dadgar, Researcher (CELE)

Would you like to take part in the research?

The researchers are expanding their database and are looking for additional municipalities and school providers to participate. Participation offers an opportunity to gain new insights into absenteeism and to contribute to building Sweden’s first knowledge base in this area.

Contact

Do you work in education or represent a school provider and want to know more? Please contact:

Ema Demir – ema.demir@hhs.se