Contents
- Student absenteeism in Canada statistics: PCAP school-year absences
- Student absenteeism in Canada statistics: recent skipping and lateness
- Student absenteeism in Canada statistics: historic Yukon absence ratios
- student absenteeism in Canada: Yukon student absence distributions by missed-day range and region
- student absenteeism in Canada: Yukon student absence distributions by self-identification
- Sources
Student absenteeism in Canada statistics: PCAP school-year absences
The 2019 Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) contextual report provides a student-reported view of absences during the current school year. Its figures here cover Grade 8/Secondary II respondents in Canada and distinguish absences for reasons that were not school-related from absences for school-related activities. The two distributions use the same missed-day ranges, making it possible to read each category in context without treating the reasons as interchangeable. These are survey responses, not administrative counts of every school absence.
| Days absent during the current school year | Not school-related | School-related activities |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 days | 22.9% | 47.5% |
| 3–5 days | 25.4% | 31.3% |
| 6–9 days | 19.8% | 12.8% |
| 10–14 days | 14.0% | 5.1% |
| 15–20 days | 8.7% | 1.8% |
| More than 20 days | 9.3% | 1.5% |
Source: PCAP 2019 Contextual Report, Table A.2.4.8, p. 205.
For non-school-related reasons, the largest single reported range was 3–5 days, at 25.4%; 22.9% reported 0–2 days. The reported share was 19.8% in the 6–9 day range, 14.0% in the 10–14 day range, 8.7% in the 15–20 day range, and 9.3% above 20 days. The report’s categories describe the number of days respondents said they missed, rather than a single average or a school-level attendance rate.
For school-related activities, 47.5% reported 0–2 days, followed by 31.3% in the 3–5 day range. The percentages were 12.8% for 6–9 days, 5.1% for 10–14 days, 1.8% for 15–20 days, and 1.5% for more than 20 days. The separation by reason matters: the PCAP table presents distinct distributions, and the school-related category should not be folded into a measure of non-school-related absence.
These results describe one assessed population and one survey year. They do not establish a present-day national rate, nor do the categories explain why a respondent missed school. The report’s table labels the reference period as the current school year at PCAP 2019. Its values should therefore be read as historical survey findings for that period, not as current-year facts.
Student absenteeism in Canada statistics: recent skipping and lateness
A separate PCAP table captures reported attendance behaviours in the 2 full weeks before assessment. It asks how often students skipped a whole school day, skipped some classes, or arrived late. This shorter reference window is different from the school-year ranges above, so the percentages should not be compared as though they measure the same period or unit. They are frequencies reported by Grade 8/Secondary II respondents in Canada.
| Reported frequency in the 2 full weeks before assessment | Skipped a whole school day | Skipped some classes | Arrived late for school |
|---|---|---|---|
| Never | 77.4% | 84.4% | 58.8% |
| 1 or 2 times | 17.5% | 12.0% | 26.3% |
| 3 or 4 times | 2.9% | 2.0% | 7.9% |
| 5 or more times | 2.2% | 1.6% | 7.0% |
Source: PCAP 2019 Contextual Report, Table A.2.4.9, p. 206.
For skipping a whole day, 77.4% reported never doing so during the 2-week period. The frequency was 1 or 2 times for 17.5%, 3 or 4 times for 2.9%, and 5 or more times for 2.2%. For skipping some classes, 84.4% reported never doing so; 12.0% reported 1 or 2 times, 2.0% reported 3 or 4 times, and 1.6% reported 5 or more times.
For arriving late, 58.8% reported never being late in the same 2-week period. Another 26.3% reported arriving late 1 or 2 times, 7.9% reported 3 or 4 times, and 7.0% reported 5 or more times. The table distinguishes lateness from skipped days and skipped classes. Taken together, these measures give a brief snapshot of different attendance behaviours, not a single composite absenteeism score.
The table title also refers to mathematics scores, but the percentages used here are only the attendance frequencies. No conclusion about academic performance or the reasons behind attendance behaviour follows from these figures alone. The short recall period and the PCAP respondent population define the scope of this evidence.
Student absenteeism in Canada statistics: historic Yukon absence ratios
Yukon’s annual student data report presents a separate indicator: the ratio of students with 20 or more absent days, by self-identification category. The values below cover 4 school years from 2020–21 to 2023–24. They are Yukon public-school figures and should not be read as Canada-wide rates or as the same measure as PCAP’s self-reported categories.
| School year | Yukon First Nation | Other Indigenous | Non-First Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | 67% | 50% | 26% |
| 2021–22 | 82% | 72% | — |
| 2022–23 | 78% | 70% | — |
| 2023–24 | 79% | 63% | — |
Source: Yukon Wide Student Data Report, School Year 2024–25, Section 8.5, p. 53. Dashes mark values not included in the checked observations.
Among Yukon First Nation students, the reported ratio with at least 20 absent days was 67% in 2020–21, 82% in 2021–22, 78% in 2022–23, and 79% in 2023–24. For Other Indigenous students, the corresponding reported values were 50% in 2020–21, 72% in 2021–22, 70% in 2022–23, and 63% in 2023–24. The report also gives a 2020–21 value of 26% for non-First Nation students.
The sequence shows year-to-year variation within each reported category. It does not, by itself, identify what accounts for those changes. Section 8.5’s measure is a ratio at or above the 20-day threshold, while the following sections describe distributions across specific missed-day ranges. The terms in the report are self-identification categories; they should be kept as published rather than treated as interchangeable population labels.
The Yukon report defines absent days as school days missed by students enrolled at Yukon public schools. Partial days are estimated and included. Excused and unexcused absences are included, while school-related activities, cultural and religious events, K4 days, and Individual Learning Centre days are excluded. This definition is essential when interpreting the Yukon ratios and comparing them with other attendance measures.
student absenteeism in Canada: Yukon student absence distributions by missed-day range and region
Section 8.6 of the Yukon report groups public-school students by the region of their enrolment school and shows the distribution across five missed-day ranges. The 2024–25 figures below include the full regional series for rural and urban students, plus the Yukon-wide value available in the checked observations. The categories are the report’s distribution bands, and the percentages are rounded in the source.
| Absent-day category, 2024–25 | Rural | Urban | Yukon-wide |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 or more days | 18% | 2% | 5% |
| 60 to 79 days | 9% | 3% | — |
| 40 to 59 days | 17% | 8% | — |
| 20 to 39 days | 27% | 31% | — |
| Less than 20 days | 29% | 55% | — |
Source: Yukon Wide Student Data Report, School Year 2024–25, Section 8.6, p. 54. Dashes mark values not included in the checked observations.
In the rural series, 29% of students fell into the fewer-than-20-days category, and 27% into the 20–39 day range. The 40–59 day category represented 17%, while 9% were in the 60–79 day range and 18% in the 80-or-more-day category. In the urban series, 55% were below 20 days and 31% were in the 20–39 day band; 8% were in the 40–59 day band, 3% in the 60–79 day band, and 2% in the 80-or-more-day band.
The Yukon-wide value available for the highest missed-day band was 5% of students at 80 or more days. The table does not fill in other Yukon-wide bands because those observations are not part of the checked figures presented here. Regional comparisons should also be read with the report’s enrolment-school grouping in mind: “rural” and “urban” refer to the grouping used in that section, not a description of each student’s residence.
These distributions preserve the distinction between the lower and higher missed-day bands. They do not show the reasons for absences, and the values do not indicate whether a student’s missed days were excused. The report’s general definition applies: partial days are estimated and included; school-related activities, cultural and religious events, K4, and Individual Learning Centre days are excluded.
student absenteeism in Canada: Yukon student absence distributions by self-identification
Section 8.7 presents 2024–25 absence distributions for Yukon First Nation, Other Indigenous, and non-First Nation public-school students. Each category uses the same five missed-day ranges. These are self-identification categories from the report, and the results describe the distribution within each category rather than a comparison of student counts.
| Absent-day category, 2024–25 | Yukon First Nation | Other Indigenous | Non-First Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 or more days | 16% | 7% | 2% |
| 60 to 79 days | 10% | 7% | — |
| 40 to 59 days | 19% | 14% | — |
| 20 to 39 days | 29% | 31% | — |
| Less than 20 days | 26% | 41% | — |
Source: Yukon Wide Student Data Report, School Year 2024–25, Section 8.7, p. 55. Dashes mark values not included in the checked observations.
For Yukon First Nation students, 26% were in the fewer-than-20-days category, 29% in the 20–39 day category, 19% in the 40–59 day category, 10% in the 60–79 day category, and 16% in the 80-or-more-day category. For Other Indigenous students, the corresponding distribution was 41%, 31%, 14%, 7%, and 7%. The report also records that 2% of non-First Nation students were in the 80-or-more-day category.
The category distributions make the threshold bands visible, while the historical section above tracks the share at or above 20 days. They answer related but distinct questions: one shows how students are spread across ranges, and the other reports the ratio meeting a specified threshold. The Yukon source’s rounded percentages and definitions apply throughout. The observations are descriptive and do not establish why students missed school or explain differences between self-identification groups.
Across the Canadian and Yukon sources, the measurement windows and populations differ. PCAP records student-reported school-year absence ranges and attendance behaviours in the 2 full weeks before assessment; the Yukon report uses public-school attendance records under its stated exclusions and partial-day method. Canadian attendance data are not consistently publicly available across provinces and territories, according to the Canadian attendance research review. PCAP and PISA provide national survey data, but their questions and respondent populations do not amount to comprehensive administrative attendance counts.
Context source: The Current State of School Attendance Research and Data in Canada, Section 5.3.