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[Info. File] Nearly 300,000 Students Not Attending School; Half Absent 90+ Days
Based on MEXT’s Survey on Problem Behaviors and Non-Attendance
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)’s “FY2022 Survey on Problem Behaviors, Non-Attendance, and Other Student Guidance Issues (「2022年度児童生徒の問題行動・不登校等生徒指導の諸問題に関する調査」)” released in October 2023, the number of elementary and junior high school students who were absent for 30 or more days during the school year reached a record 460,648. Of these, 299,048 were classified as futōkō (non-attendance for reasons other than illness or economic circumstances), up 22.1% from the previous year—marking the tenth consecutive annual increase. While long-term absences due to “avoiding COVID-19 infection” fell to less than half the previous year’s level, long-term absences due to “illness” increased.
Students not attending school accounted for 3.2% of total enrollment (vs. 2.6% the previous year), the highest on record. Over the past five years, the rate rose from 0.7% to 1.7% in elementary schools and from 3.7% to 6.0% in junior high schools. Notably, 165,669 students—55.4% of those not attending—were absent for 90 days or more.
Source: Compiled by the author based on MEXT, “Outline of the FY2022 Survey on Problem Behaviors, Non-Attendance, etc.（文部科学省『令和4年度 児童生徒の問題行動・不登校等生徒指導上の諸問題に関する調査結果の概要』）”
Regarding reasons for non-attendance, “apathy/anxiety” accounted for 51.8%, and “disrupted lifestyle, leisure, delinquency” for 11.4%, indicating that student-related factors were most frequently cited.
That said, MEXT’s “FY2020 Survey on the Actual Conditions of Students Not Attending School” shows that, when asked about the initial trigger that made school feel difficult (multiple answers allowed), 30% of elementary and 28% of junior high respondents chose “teachers,” while 25% of elementary and 26% of junior high respondents chose “friends.” Although diminished motivation to attend in the wake of the pandemic is often mentioned, the rise in non-attendance likely reflects a complex interplay of factors involving the student, the school, and the home.
The number of recognized bullying cases in elementary, junior high, and high schools rose by 66,597 (10.8%) to 681,948—also a record high. “Serious” bullying cases increased by 217 (30.7%) to 923.
Incidents of violence in schools rose 25% to 95,426—about 3.6 times the FY2015 level. By prefecture (per 1,000 students), the incidence of violent acts varied by roughly a factor of 45 between the highest (Niigata) and the lowest (Ehime).
Recognized bullying cases (per 1,000 students) varied by about eightfold between the highest (Yamagata) and the lowest (Ehime), underscoring persistent differences in how local governments identify and record such problems.
(Published with additions and revisions in the November 2023 issue of "EN-ICHI FORUM")
