Børns Vilkår calls the rise in school absenteeism »alarming« and says municipalities aren’t doing enough. KL pushes back, arguing the problems are complex.

A growing number of students skip more than a quarter of the year

Ellemarkskolen in Køge is one of many Danish schools struggling with high student absenteeism; in 2023/24 it was 9.9%. File photo. Foto: Annika Byrde
Ellemarkskolen in Køge is one of many Danish schools struggling with high student absenteeism; in 2023/24 it was 9.9%. File photo. Foto: Annika Byrde
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Across the country, there are elementary school students with such high absenteeism that they miss over 50 days of school. This amounts to a quarter of the school year.

And the trend is worsening. In 2010/2011, 1.4 percent of students had more than 50 days of absenteeism. By 2023/2024, this figure had risen to 2.6 percent, according to new data from Børns Vilkår based on figures from Statistics Denmark.

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