National Skip School Day (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you skip a school day? ›

Skipping school frequently is called “truancy” and can get you suspended from school. You may have to go before a judge who can order mandatory counselling, extra school, detention, or probation. Skipping school can lead to truancy, which will remain on your permanent record.

When kids miss school, they miss out on learning opportunities. Just a couple of missed days might mean a child can fall behind on several topics or lessons, and sometimes, there isn't a good way for them to easily catch up.

In general, it's not terrible to miss a single class — as long as you're not skipping the midterm or final. But skipping can become a problem if it's chronic. Missing multiple classes often means a lower grade.

The idea is to take a day off, once in a while, to clear your head and to feel good. Taking a day off shouldn't make your situations work by making you miss out on work or fall behind in school. Students who deal with anxiety, stress, or depression shouldn't skip school consistently.

Missing a day here or there may not seem like a problem. But absences add up quickly. And these missed school days can have a big impact on your child's learning and overall health. Missing two days a month—excused or unexcused—can add up to a child being considered chronically absent.

No, it's never ok to skip school for minor reasons like that. The only time you should ever miss school is if you're very sick, and your parents allow you to stay home to go see a doctor.

So, each day absent is a missed opportunity for your child to learn something they will need in order to understand more difficult material later. Students who miss more than 18 days of school are less proficient in reading, writing and math compared to their peers with good attendance.

American schools may oppose grade skipping, or limit it to one or at the most two grades, regardless of the student's academic and social situation.

Make up your mind about going to a class and follow through. As an incentive, you can set a reward system for yourself, wherein every time you resist the urge to skip a class, you treat yourself to, say, your favorite meal. Once you get into the habit, the desire to cut classes will be less pronounced.

How many people skip a grade? ›

It's a wide margin, sure, but the point is clear. Roughly 1 in 3 students—a full third of the class—are already prepared for the next grade up when they walk into class at the beginning of the school year. By comparison, only about 1 percent of students skip grades at some point in K-12.

It May Start A Bad Habit

Once you skip class once, you will likely be tempted to skip again. This can lead to a pattern of skipping class that you never meant to get into. It's best not to give yourself the chance to get into this habit at all by attending lectures each time.

Poor attendance can lead to lower grades due to missed instruction and participation points, and consequently, it can impact your GPA.

Children who've worked hard to overcome anxiety or learning challenges can benefit from taking breaks. But keep in mind that mental health days should be one day, once in a while. Set limits and be clear about when kids can, and can't, take a day off.

Consequences of teen truancy include a decline in school performance, loneliness, low self-worth, increased mental health problems, potential increase in risky behaviors, and conflict between parents and teens.

Even for students with struggles with anxiety or depression, avoidance might not be beneficial in the long run. In general, however, if your student maintains a good attendance record, an occasional mental health day, as long as it doesn't become habitual, is OK.