---
title: "Participants Background and Demographics | School Attendance Challenges"
description: "Out of a total of 519 respondents, most students with school attendance challenges and absenteeism were aged between 12 and 17 and in grade 8 to grade 11."
url: https://ymhc.ngo/resources/school-attendance-challenges/survey/participants/
---

National Survey· 4 of 11

# Participants Background and Demographics

![Three young primary school students working on papers at a classroom table](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/primaryschool-scaled-600x399.BOlB9vt5_ZdWNil.webp)

**Key Demographics Information:**

-   Out of a total of 519 respondents, most students with school attendance challenges and absenteeism were aged between 12 and 17 and in grade 8 to grade 11.
-   Almost half (233 out of 519) of respondents had missed more than 1 month of school in the past year at the time of responding to the survey.
-   Less than half of students (27% in total) received any form of support from school staff. More than half of respondents received help from school support professionals or outside professionals.

![Bar chart: age distribution of respondents’ children, aged 5 to 20, with the most at ages 13 to 16 (57, 62, 64, and 56 children)](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Age-Distribution-1080x368.FIx8CHfz_Z2pWCl.webp)

Respondents indicated that their children were aged five to 20, with most young people aged 13 to 16 at the time of completing the survey.

![Bar chart: grade distribution of respondents’ children from senior kindergarten to postsecondary, peaking in grades 8 to 11 (57, 58, 69, and 62 children)](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Grade-Distribution-1080x396.CwccoJl6_ZBDXqL.webp)

Respondents indicated that their children were in kindergarten to postsecondary, with most students in grades 8 to 11.

## Participants Children School Attendance Challenges and Absence Experience

![Bar chart: age of children when parents first became aware of their school attendance challenges; 191 at age 5, then 52 at age 6 and 46 at age 7, falling to almost none after age 15](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/First-Aware-1080x360.BN4ITIh__j5N9i.webp)

Although most parent respondents indicated that their children were currently in grades 7 to 11, the first warning signs and symptoms of school attendance challenges for 191 out of 519 students presented at five years old. An overwhelming number of students experienced school attendance challenges from their first days in school but were able to contain and manage their school attendance challenges until they imploded and experienced chronic absenteeism.

![Bar chart: school days missed in the last year; 11 none, 34 under 5, 51 for 6 to 10, 57 for 11 to 15, 59 for 16 to 18, 68 one month, and 233 more than one month](https://ymhc.ngo/_astro/Absent-Days-1080x417.tEoMEqZn_2tbOQz.webp)

When a student misses 40% of class time in a two-week period, about two days a week, the situation is urgent (Kearney, 2007).  Almost half (233 out of 519) of respondents had missed more than 1 month of school in the past year when they responded to the survey.