One in five primary and secondary students in Kerry missed 20 days or more of the school year last year.
New data from the Tusla Education Support Service shows that the number of children missing 20 days or more from school is still higher than before the pandemic.
A new nationwide campaign has been launched to promote regular school attendance across the country.
The latest figures show that 20.9% of primary school students missed 20 days or more in the 2023/24 school year.
For post-primary schools, this figure is slightly higher at 21.7%.
This means that at both primary and post-primary level, one in every five students are missing 20 days or more each school year.
The figures for school absenteeism in Kerry are roughly in line with national averages.
School absenteeism in Kerry primary schools peaked at 37% in the 2021/22 school year and has been declining since, but remains at a higher level than before the pandemic; 12% of primary school pupils were absent for 20 days or more in the last full school year before COVID, 2018/19.
The number of days lost by students at primary level in Kerry represents eight per cent of the total school days in 2023/2024, and that figure is 13% of days at post-primary level.
Lost days are the total number of absences summed over the student population.
For post-primary schools, 13.7% of students in Kerry missed 20 days or more in the last full school year before COVID, before rising to 28% in 2021/2022, and declining again to 21.7% for 2023/2024.
A new multi-platform campaign will encourage everyone involved in the lives of children and young people to support and prioritise regular school attendance.
It will highlight that regular school attendance is essential not just for academic achievement, but also for wellbeing, social development and long-term life outcomes.
The Tusla Education Support Service says when a child or young person can go to school, they should go to school.
