School absenteeism in N.B. dropping, data show
Improvement seen in anglophone and francophone sectors
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The wave of respiratory illness that swept across New Brunswick in December didn’t have a big impact on student absenteeism – in fact, the rate was lower than the same time last year.
According to education department data, the average number of days missed in December in Kindergarten to Grade 8 anglophone classrooms was 1.9, down from 2.2 in 2022. In grades 9-12, the average was 2.4 days, a two-year low.
It was a similar story in the francophone education sector.
The average number of days missed in December in Kindergarten to Grade 8 classrooms was 1.3, down from 1.9 in 2022. In grades 9-12, the average was 1.8, down from 2.3 in December 2022.
Why the students were absent is a mystery.
“The data does not identify why a student was absent. A student could be absent for many reasons, including dental and medical appointments, sickness or personal/family reasons,” education spokesperson Charles Renshaw said in an email.
In anglophone grades K-8, Anglophone School District West had the highest December absenteeism rate, averaging two days per student. Anglophone west was also highest in grades 9-12, with an average 2.6 days missed per student.
The lowest absenteeism rate in anglophone K-8 classes was seen in anglophone north and south, which both averaged 1.8 days missed per student. In grades 9-12, anglophone north was the lowest at 2.1 days.
In francophone grades K-8, Francophone School District Northeast had the highest average absenteeism rate, 1.7 days. The district also has the highest rate in grades 9-12, 2.1 days.
The lowest absenteeism rate in francophone K-8 classes was seen in francophone northwest, where student absenteeism averaged one day. In grades 9-12, francophone south had the lowest absenteeism rate, 1.5 days.
In November, Education Minister Bill Hogan and the New Brunswick Teachers’ Association issued a joint steering committee’s report that laid out 11 long-term recommendations to improve the anglophone sector over the next five years.
What the recommendation didn’t mention is that the school districts and the education department have said they don’t track chronic absenteeism, and that it’s been flagged as a big problem for years.
In January 2019, shortly after the Tories took office, then auditor general Kim Adair-MacPherson urged the government to take action.
“When students miss school, they miss the learning opportunity,” her office’s report read. When students are chronically absent, it added, “research indicates it is the point where missing school will affect a child academically.”
Adair-MacPherson urged the government to “develop standards for student absence tracking and measurement to better monitor student attendance, and take corrective action to improve student attendance.”
The districts have said they track overall monthly absenteeism, not chronic absenteeism on a student-by-student basis.
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