Charter Schools Show Promising Attendance Rates with Focus on Improvement

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says baseline attendance data for charter schools shows they’re off to good start, but there is more work to be done.

When children can learn and grow in ways more specific to their needs, they attend school more, Mr Seymour says.

In 2025 the average regular attendance rate for charter schools was 59.7 per cent. For state schools it was 58 per cent. A student regularly attends when they are in class for 90 per cent of the term.

This is a good result for the seven charter schools which opened last year, Mr Seymour says.

Three of the charter schools which opened last year work specifically with young people who have long‑standing challenges with education. This includes many students who previously attended school very rarely but are now at school significantly more.

The regular attendance rate across the other four schools was 66.7 per cent. If it weren’t for illness making attendance in Term 4 difficult for students at one of these schools, it would have been even higher.

Now that schools have their attendance baselines they will be monitored on how they perform against it. The expectation is that schools will show significant improvements in their second year.

In return for greater autonomy with how they use their funding, charter schools will face greater scrutiny and must adhere to minimum standards.

Minimum standards are informed by a school’s equity index (EQI), which is reviewed annually. As schools grow and change, their EQI, and the standards they are expected to meet, may also change. The goal is to guide schools towards the Government’s target.

All charter schools are expected to make progress towards these minimum standards and the Government’s target of 80 per cent of students attending regularly.

If a school does not meet its minimum standard, the Authorisation Board will step in. Initially, this may involve requiring the school to map out how it will improve attendance. If progress is not made, the Board can end the school’s contract.

The charter school model ensures these schools can be flexible in how they use their funding, while maintaining clear accountability for results. Ultimately, this is about making sure more children are in class, learning, and succeeding.