Ireland reports rise in chronic secondary school absenteeism

New data from Tusla’s Education Support Service reveals a significant rise in chronic absenteeism among Irish secondary students. During the 2024/25 academic year, 75,649 post-primary students missed at least 20 days of school, an increase of more than 8,000 students compared to the previous year.

While primary school attendance showed some improvement—with chronic absenteeism falling from 22.1% to 19%—the long-term absence in secondary schools remains a major concern. Post-primary students lost approximately 6.26 million school days, representing 10.7% of the total. Although absence levels have declined from their pandemic-era peaks, they remain higher than the levels recorded before Covid-19.