Just 47 percent of schools students regularly attended classes in Term Two of this year

Latest Education Ministry figures show this is a drop on the first term of 2023 - when regular attendance sat at 59.5 percent.

In Term Two, 8.7 percent were counted as justified absences - while unjustified absences made up 6.1 percent of class time.

Unjustified absences are categorised as those which are unexplained, holidays, truancy or "throw away" explanations.

Students must go to class 90 percent of the time, to count as regularly attending school.