Term One Attendance Data

Recently we received information from the Ministry of Education comparing our school attendance data from Term 1 to that of our local region and national statistics. Overall, this information shows that nearly 80% of Palmerston North Boys’ High School students attend school regularly compared to a national figure of less than 60%. Please note that the Ministry of Education defines regular attendance as 90% or higher.

While the comparison data is very positive for us, it still means that one in every five young men is absent from school for more than one day per fortnight. Furthermore, the Ministry of Education's definition of 90% attendance as ‘regular’ means that students can be absent from school one day a fortnight, missing a month of school in total for the year, and still be counted as regularly attending.

There is much evidence linking regular school attendance to higher levels of academic achievement, and attendance at the Ministry of Education target of 90% is below the threshold at which academic performance is negatively affected. We encourage you to work with your son to ensure that school is the priority so that he has the best opportunity to gain the academic qualifications that he is capable of.