Tackling student absenteeism: Understanding the impact to drive change
Why does student absenteeism matter - and what are its real consequences? In Sweden, around 20% of students miss at least 15% of scheduled classes. This project examines how different patterns of absenteeism affect academic performance, long-term educational trajectories, and student well-being.
About the project
Across the globe, absenteeism is emerging as a serious challenge for educational systems. In Sweden, the problem is particularly acute: around 20% of students miss at least 15% of their scheduled classes, with even higher rates among 15-year-olds. A recent investigation by Sveriges Radio further illustrates the scale of the problem, estimating that around 15,000 compulsory school students may have been absent for at least half of the autumn term in 2025. As schools face rising mental health concerns, neuropsychiatric diagnoses, and the growing influence of social media, understanding absenteeism is more urgent than ever.
From missed classes to missed opportunities
Despite growing concern, we still know surprisingly little about the consequences of student absenteeism. Existing research has largely focused on why students miss school, rather than what different levels and patterns of absence mean for their academic performance, long-term prospects, and well-being. A key reason is the lack of a national infrastructure for attendance data. Although school providers and digital school systems routinely collect detailed attendance data, it is dispersed across organizations and platforms and therefore difficult to access and combine for research at scale.
This project addresses that limitation by building the collaborations needed to bring together detailed attendance data from across Sweden. Funded by the Swedish Research Council and approved through ethical review, the project is now underway in collaboration with around 20 school providers, including municipalities and independent school organizations, from across Sweden, as well as several providers of digital school systems. This emerging research infrastructure makes it possible to examine not only who is absent and when, but what different patterns of absenteeism actually mean for students.
The project has been approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (reference number 2025-03539-01).
We examine how different patterns of absenteeism affect students' short-term academic results and long-term educational trajectories. Using descriptive statistics, cluster analysis, fixed-effects models, and difference-in-differences approaches, we track how absenteeism varies across student groups and school environments and examine its consequences over time.
A broader lens on inequality and intervention
Our mixed-methods approach offers a more nuanced understanding of absenteeism - not just as an educational issue, but as a reflection of broader societal inequalities, including mental health challenges and economic disadvantage.
The project supports the development of early warning systems, more targeted interventions, and smarter attendance policies by providing a stronger evidence base on when absenteeism matters, for whom, and with what consequences.
Beyond the immediate research, the project also demonstrates the potential value of a more systematic national infrastructure for attendance data. The collaborations and data brought together through the project could help lay the groundwork for a future national attendance register, enabling absenteeism to be followed over time, patterns and inequalities to be identified, and interventions to be evaluated on a broader scale.
School providers interested in participating or learning more about the project are encouraged to contact the research team.
Better data. Better understanding. Better futures for students.
Read more about the Swedish Research Council-funded project Skolfrånvaro och elevresultat.
