Stately

Persistent absence: record highs and lows

The extremes of persistent absence as published by Department for Education, across the 18 periods held here (2006/07 academic year to 2024/25 academic year). Each record is a published figure, not a computed one, and the scope is this series — not “ever”.

Highest published

22.5%2021/22 academic year

Lowest published

10.5%2015/16 academic year

The full series

Persistent absence: 2006/07 academic year to 2024/25 academic yearLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour0%10%20%20102015202020252006/07 academic year: 19.3% percent · published 4 August 20262007/08 academic year: 18.5% percent · published 4 August 20262008/09 academic year: 18.5% percent · published 4 August 20262009/10 academic year: 17.4% percent · published 4 August 20262010/11 academic year: 16.3% percent · published 4 August 20262011/12 academic year: 13.5% percent · published 4 August 20262012/13 academic year: 13.6% percent · published 4 August 20262013/14 academic year: 10.7% percent · published 4 August 20262014/15 academic year: 11% percent · published 4 August 20262015/16 academic year: 10.5% percent · published 4 August 20262016/17 academic year: 10.8% percent · published 4 August 20262017/18 academic year: 11.2% percent · published 4 August 20262018/19 academic year: 10.9% percent · published 4 August 20262020/21 academic year: 12.1% percent · published 4 August 20262021/22 academic year: 22.5% percent · published 4 August 20262022/23 academic year: 21.2% percent · published 4 August 20262023/24 academic year: 20% percent · published 4 August 20262024/25 academic year: 18.1% percent · published 4 August 2026
Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

What a record here is, and is not

A record is the extreme of the periods this site holds for the current series, at each period’s newest published release. Earlier series measured under different methods are not compared against it. Money is in cash terms: a record set years ago stands against the money of its own year.