Who Are the School Truants?

PISA in Focus

PISA in Focus is a series of monthly education policy-oriented notes designed to describe a PISA topic in a concise, user-friendly way.

English Also available in: French

Across OECD countries, 18% of students skipped classes at least once in the two weeks prior to the PISA test, and 15% of students skipped a day of school or more over the same period.
Few students in high-performing school systems skip classes or days of school.
For students in OECD countries, skipping classes is associated with a 32-point lower score in mathematics, while skipping days of school is associated with a 52-point lower score.
Truancy is observed among all students, whether advantaged or disadvantaged.

English Also available in: French