School attendance bounces back as CLP Government gets schools back on track

13 July 2026

• School attendance for term 2 this year has increased compared with term 2 in 2025 and term 2 in 2024.
   
• The flood-affected regions during term 1 this year all recorded attendance increases and a reduction of students on the intensive support roll.
   
• Minister for Education and Training, Jo Hersey, said while the bounce-back is promising, there is still more work to do.

School attendance has increased across the Territory for term 2 this year in comparison to the same period last year in an encouraging sign that parents are listening to the Finocchiaro CLP Government and taking more personal responsibility for their children’s school attendance.

Department of Education and Training attendance statistics, released today, reveal in term 2, 2026, school attendance increased by 1.2 percentage points compared with term 2, 2025, to 73.8%.

The term two attendance rate is also higher than term 2 in 2024, as the CLP Government continues to deliver in its year of growth, certainty and security.

The flood-affected regions of Central, the Barkly and Big Rivers all recorded attendance increases (+2.6pp, +2.2pp and +1.8pp respectively) when compared to term 2, 2025 and all recorded a reduction of students on the intensive support roll from term 1, 2026.

Minister for Education and Training, Jo Hersey, said while the bounce-back is promising, there is still more work to do.

“Thank you to all the families for working with us to get your children to school,” Minister Hersey said.

“School attendance rates have started to bounce back, but we still have more work to do.

“Every child, no matter where they are in the Territory, has the right to a quality education.

“School attendance is everyone’s responsibility. Parents are starting to hear the message, the School Attendance Officers are doing a great job on the beat, and our schools are properly funded with record low teacher vacancies under the Better Fairer Schools Agreement.”

While the front-line school attendance team works with children and families, there are a range of new initiatives introduced in Northern Territory Government schools to keep kids engaged in the classroom. These include:

• Boosting Literacy and Numeracy through explicit teaching.
• Establishing new Trade Technical Colleges through the phasing out of middle schools.
• Placing Aboriginal Liaison Officers in schools.
• Investing $732 million through the school funding model for 2026, $46 million more than 2025.
• Keeping and attracting teachers by moving more Teachers to permanent contracts.
• Bringing School Counsellors back in schools, not centralised in Darwin.

The Department of Education and Training's School Attendance team has so far in 2026 issued 1,155 compliance notices, 269 fines, and made 155 referrals for income management, of which the Commonwealth has accepted 98.

Media contact – Zac Webster – 0418 670 192