Student Absenteeism and Academic Achievement in Public Senior Secondary Schools in Sokoto State

This study investigates the relationship between student absenteeism and academic achievement in public senior secondary schools in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. Regular school attendance is a foundational requirement for effective learning, yet chronic absenteeism remains a significant problem in many Nigerian secondary schools, particularly in the North West zone. In Sokoto State, seasonal agricultural demands, religious observance calendars, and household economic pressures combine to create recurring attendance challenges. A descriptive survey design was employed, with attendance records collected from school registers for 600 Senior Secondary School Two students across 20 public secondary schools in Sokoto, Tambuwal, and Illela local government areas. Academic achievement was measured using end-of-session examination scores across five core subjects. Absenteeism was categorised into excused and unexcused absence days. Pearson correlation and regression analysis were applied. Results reveal a significant negative relationship between total days absent and academic achievement across all subjects. Unexcused absences showed a stronger negative association than excused absences, suggesting that attitudinal and economic drivers of absenteeism carry greater academic cost than medically justified absences. The study concludes that student absenteeism is a major predictor of academic underperformance in Sokoto State public secondary schools. It recommends that school management implement structured attendance monitoring systems with automated parent notification, and that the state education board develop a flexible school calendar aligned with local agricultural and cultural cycles to reduce conflict between schooling and community obligations.

Keywords: student absenteeism, academic achievement, senior secondary school, Sokoto State, attendance.