McMaster study shows doubling of chronic absenteeism among kindergarteners

A new study from McMaster University says there was a dramatic shift in school attendance among kindergarteners, with chronic absenteeism more than doubling between 2017 and 2023.

The study says chronic absenteeism — which is defined as missing more than 10 per cent of the school year — went from 18 per cent before the pandemic to 41 per cent after the pandemic, a change that shocked the research team.

Another surprising finding was that more kindergarteners from higher-income neighbourhoods missed school, which also contributed to the rise.

“It really did surprise me that — the distribution of where these children come from is different. And it seems to me perhaps — I’m speculating now, we don’t have that information in our study. But perhaps the culture of — legitimacy of keeping children home at school has slightly changed due to the pandemic,” said researcher Magdalena Janus from McMaster University. “So I think now parents, if their child is even slightly unwell, are more likely to keep them.”

Chronic absenteeism is associated with developmental vulnerabilities and is an early risk factor for school dropout, mental health challenges and academic difficulty. But the study found that children who consistently missed school in the post-pandemic years were less likely to show developmental vulnerabilities.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One.

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