REVEALED: Toowoomba's least attended schools

DARLING Downs state school students are attending school at the lowest rate in five years.

DARLING Downs state school students are attending school at the lowest rate in five years.

DARLING Downs state school students are attending school at the lowest rate in five years.

According to data from the Queensland Department of Education in 2018 the student attendance rate was 90.5 per cent. This was below the 2014 low of 90.6 per cent.

Only Far North Queensland, the North Coast and North Queensland had a similar or worse attendance rate to the Darling Downs.

The attendance rate is generated by dividing the total of full-days and part-days students attended, compared to the total possible days for students to attend. It does not take into account the total number of students who were absent. 

In the Toowoomba Regional Council area specifically, the attendance rate in 2018 was 91.5 per cent, an equal low to 2014.

There were 68,532 days missed due to illness in Toowoomba in 2018, 35,736 days missed due to unexplained absences, 34,579 days missed for other reasons, 11,474 days missed because of holidays, 4813 days missed due to disciplinary actions and 3570 unauthorised days missed.

According to the Department of Education an unauthorised absence is where the explanation provided is considered by the principal to not be reasonable, while other is anything that the school considers reasonable, such as dental appointments, a funeral, legal requirements, or other education opportunities such as TAFE.

Kulpi State School had the highest attendance rate in the Toowoomba region in 2018, at 97.8 per cent. Bowenville State School and Jondaryan State School had an attendance rate of 96.3 per cent.

Toowoomba West Special School had the worst attendance rate of any Toowoomba state school at 83.7 per cent, followed by Harlaxton State School at 85.5 per cent.

Toowoomba State High School had the lowest attendance rate of any high school in the region, at 87.1 per cent, followed by Harristown State High School at 87.5 per cent and Clifton State High School at 88.3 per cent.

Centenary Heights State High School was the most attended high school, with a 92.5 per cent attendance rate, followed by Highfields State Secondary College at 91.2 per cent.

Most of the 59 state schools in the Toowoomba Regional Council area experienced a drop in the attendance rate, or kept the same attendance rate, between 2017 and 2018.

The 16 schools that experienced a rise in the attendance rate were Rockville State School, Rangeville Sate School, Pilton State School, Nobby State School, Millmerran State School, Meringandan State School, Kulpi State School, Jondaryan State School, Highfields State School, Greenmount State School, Gabbinbar State School, Drayton State School, Darling Heights State School, Clifford Park Special School, Bowenville State School and Biddeston State School.

On its website the Department of Education said it was important to note when analysing attendance data over time extreme events such as cyclones,flooding and pandemics may have impacted on the data in certain years.

Top 5 worst attendance rate

• Toowoomba West Special School: 83.7%
• Harlaxton State School: 85.5%
• Toowoomba State High School: 87.1%
• Harristown State High School: 87.5%
• Clifton State High School: 88.3%

Top 5 best attendance rate

• Kulpi State School: 97.8%
• Bowenville State School: 96.3%
• Jondaryan State School: 96.3%
• Brookstead State School: 95.9%
• Ramsay State School: 95.5%

Originally published as REVEALED: Toowoomba's least attended schools