New Brunswick Schools Battle Teen Absenteeism Epidemic

New Brunswick schools are confronting a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, a trend predominantly impacting high school students. In the Anglophone West school district, half of students in grades nine through 12 have been reported as chronically absent over the past three years. This means they miss more than 10 percent of instructional days, raising serious concerns among educators about academic progress and student engagement.

Teachers are increasingly worried about the profound effect these absences have on learning and relationship-building. Interventions are being implemented, ranging from initial home calls to more intensive support from school attendance teams and mental health clinicians. The focus is shifting towards understanding and addressing underlying issues like anxiety, which is cited as a growing reason for school avoidance.

To combat this issue, the province has set a goal to reduce chronic absenteeism to 26 percent by 2028. A public dashboard displaying absenteeism rates at the school level is expected by the end of March, aiming to provide data to track progress and evaluate intervention effectiveness. Experts emphasize that school attendance is crucial for identifying and supporting students facing various socioeconomic and emotional challenges.