Student absenteeism is a pressing concern in schools worldwide, especially within equity-impacted communities where systemic disadvantage and wellbeing challenges intersect. Too often, policy and practice frame absenteeism as an issue of student compliance or parental responsibility. Yet this approach fails to capture the broader relational, emotional, and material contexts shaping whether young people can, and want to, attend school.


This study draws on qualitative interviews with school leaders, staff, students, and community organisations across marginalised Australian school communities. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we explored the importance of wellbeing in school attendance, and the impact of community in connecting students with school.


Findings reveal that absenteeism cannot be disentangled from adolescents' experiences of wellbeing across multiple domains. Emotional wellbeing emerged as critical: students attended when they felt seen, safe, and supported, rather than when threatened with consequences. Social wellbeing was equally influential, with peer belonging, cultural inclusion, and stigma reduction shaping engagement. Material wellbeing, including access to food, uniforms, transport, and stable housing, was an integral but often overlooked determinant of attendance. Finally, community wellbeing was central, as staff capacity, educator wellbeing, and partnerships with families and local organisations created the conditions for sustained connection.


Across sites, participants consistently emphasised the role of connection over compliance. Leadership that prioritised care, roles dedicated to student wellbeing, flexibility to adapt to individual needs, and authentic partnerships with families and community services were identified as enabling factors.


By repositioning absenteeism as a reflection of relational disconnection and unmet wellbeing needs, this research reframes attendance not as an individual problem but as a community responsibility. The findings highlight practical, place-based strategies within schools and communities to help young people attend, connect, and thrive. The implications are clear: sustainable improvements in attendance will depend on resourcing educator wellbeing, and embedding school-community partnerships as core to educational systems.