Attendance percentage
94.7%
Needs attention
95% benchmark0.3 pts below
England 93.1% (latest)1.6 pts above
95%
Above England, but below the 95% benchmark.
Full calculator
School Attendance Calculator
Use the full calculator to check current attendance, future absence impact, recovery planning and a year-to-date attendance estimate in one place.
Estimates only. Check your school's own records when decisions matter.
Last reviewed: 12 July 2026 by Site editor and maintainer (Paul R).
Reviewed for general accuracy. Always check your school, local authority or official guidance for decisions.
Calculator
Attendance calculator
Check current attendance, future absence impact, or what recovery could take.
Live estimates update as you type. The figures shown are guides, not official records.
Current attendance
Choose the input style that best matches the figures you already have.
Absence estimate
Estimate based on the details entered
Days missed10
Sessions missed20
One school day usually equals two sessions.
Plain English interpretation
This estimate suggests 94.7% attendance, with about 10 days or 20 sessions missed so far. It is above the latest England comparator, but below the 95% benchmark, so it may still need attention. Check the school record for the official figure.
Optional estimate
Attendance so far this year
This date-based tool loads after the page hydrates so its defaults match the visitor's current date.
England comparator note
Latest England comparator: 93.1%.
The comparator is a published England aggregate and may not match the exact date range used in this estimate.
The main calculator above is ready now. This extra year-to-date estimate appears once the page finishes loading.
How this works
Possible sessions means all morning and afternoon sessions that could have been attended so far.
Missed days are converted into sessions internally, because that is how attendance is often recorded.
The result is an estimate and should not be treated as a replacement for school data.
Guidance note
This calculator is independent and gives estimates only. It cannot tell you whether an absence is authorised, whether a penalty applies or how a school will respond.
View attendance resourcesAttendance benchmark visual
How missed days change a full-year attendance benchmark
This visual uses a typical 190-day school year to show how the percentage changes as missed days increase. It is a benchmark only, not an official school record.
Visual scale shown from 80% to 100% so small changes are easier to compare.
100%A full benchmark year with no missed school time.
99.5%A small full-year movement, but still visible early in the year.
97.4%Roughly a week of missed time across a 190-day year.
94.7%Usually just under 95% across a typical school year.
90%A much larger amount of learning time missed overall.
| Missed days | Attendance | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 0 days missed | 100% | A full benchmark year with no missed school time. |
| 1 day missed | 99.5% | A small full-year movement, but still visible early in the year. |
| 5 days missed | 97.4% | Roughly a week of missed time across a 190-day year. |
| 10 days missed | 94.7% | Usually just under 95% across a typical school year. |
| 19 days missed | 90% | A much larger amount of learning time missed overall. |
Related pages
More context for this calculator
Formula used on this page
Attendance percentage is estimated by dividing attended time by possible time, then multiplying by 100.
If you enter days, the calculation works in days. If you enter sessions, it works in sessions, which is often closer to how schools record attendance.
Worked example
If a child has attended 180 out of 190 possible school days, the estimate is 180 divided by 190 multiplied by 100, which is about 94.7%.
The same idea in sessions would be 361 attended sessions out of 380 possible sessions, which gives 95%.
Who this calculator is for
This page is useful for parents, carers, school staff and attendance teams who want one place to check the current figure, estimate future impact, compare recovery targets and sense-check the maths behind a school percentage.
It works best when users already have the school total in front of them or want to compare a school figure with a transparent independent estimate.
Days versus sessions
A full school day is usually two sessions: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. That means a half-day absence can still change the percentage even if only one session is missed.
Use sessions when your school report shows sessions, partial absences or late marks. Use days when you only have whole-day figures and need a broad estimate.
Common mistakes when using this calculator
The most common mistake is mixing days and sessions inside the same calculation. Another common mistake is using a full-year benchmark when the school is actually showing a term-to-date total.
It also helps to check whether previous absences, part-day absence or later code changes are already included in the school figure before assuming the site and the school should match exactly.
Limits and year-to-date caveats
Year-to-date and future projections are planning estimates only. They extend the maths from the figures entered so far and cannot predict authorisation decisions, code changes or future support needs.
Exact school records may differ because schools can use different possible totals, update attendance codes later or count partial absences in more detail.
What the result means
The result is best used as a translation tool. It turns a raw attendance total into something easier to discuss in terms of days, sessions and percentage movement.
It should not be treated as a formal decision-maker. When attendance figures are being used in a meeting, letter or support process, the official school or MIS record remains the source of truth.
Common reasons the school figure may not match exactly
A school app or report may be using sessions instead of days, may include part-day absence, or may have updated attendance codes after the original entry. Those differences can make a live school percentage look slightly different from a home estimate.
This is why the page is most useful as an independent explainer and calculator, while the school record remains the authoritative figure for decisions.
Useful next reading after the calculator
If you want to understand the formula itself, read the methodology and formula guides linked below. If you want benchmark-style answers, move on to the one-day, five-day and percentage explainer pages in the guide hub.
That combination helps the page feel more than just a utility: the calculator gives the estimate, and the surrounding content helps users understand what the estimate means.
About the England attendance comparator
The comparator on this page uses the latest published Department for Education Explore Education Statistics year-to-date attendance rate for England. It is not a UK-wide figure, and it is not a live school benchmark for one child.
The current comparator is based on compulsory-school-age pupils in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England, covering 08 September 2025 to 26 June 2026. It is useful for broad context only, especially when someone wants to know whether an estimate sits above or below the latest England average.
The published DfE figure is itself an early indicator and can change as registers are updated. School records can also differ because schools may use session totals, later code changes, part-day marks or a different period from the one you entered.
Compare the benchmark with the methodology page and the official resources page, or open the latest DfE attendance release for the source publication.
Methodology and official references
Quick FAQs
Short answers for this calculator
A few practical answers for this tool. For formal questions, use your school's own records and current official guidance.
What counts as possible sessions?
Possible sessions are the total morning and afternoon sessions that could have been attended so far.
Can I use days instead of sessions?
Yes. Multiply full school days by two to get sessions, or use the days missed option in the calculator.
Is 100% needed every year?
Real life happens. The tool helps estimate impact, but schools will also look at context, support needs and attendance codes.