Survey reveals top reasons why kids avoid going to school

Of us and caregivers generally hear a baby notify, “I variety now not are making an strive to head to college.” But when this turns into a protracted-established incidence, it may per chance per chance moreover simply be a signal of faculty avoidance, moreover identified as college refusal, that is more doubtless to be a signal of emotional hurt.

A brand recent nationwide take into tale performed by Ipsos on behalf of The Formative years Psychological Health Basis, founded by Nationwide Formative years’s Clinical institution, unearths nearly a third of fogeys (30%) whose baby missed college attributable to wretchedness or fear last one year reported their baby missed greater than a week of faculty.

The nationwide take into tale of greater than 1,000 parents across the US moreover unearths roughly two out of five college students who missed college (42%) notify they variety now not in actuality feel bodily effectively ample to attend, and one in five notify they are too exhausted to attend (20%).

“It be critical to take into tale that there are deal of bodily symptoms that manifest in children that are in actuality connected to psychological effectively being,” acknowledged Kelley McChristy, a mom of two boys in Columbus, Ohio, who has experienced college avoidance. “When a baby says, ‘I am sick, I’m now not feeling effectively,’ and you can’t uncover a cause for it, it may per chance per chance moreover simply be connected to fear.”

In step with the Nationwide Institutes of Health (NIH), as many as 28% of younger folk experience college avoidance—most many times among 10–13-one year-olds and children transitioning to varied faculties.

“College avoidance can happen for just a few causes. Formative years may per chance per chance moreover simply rep social concerns, admire bullying or feeling admire they variety now not slot in. They may per chance per chance moreover simply be alarmed about take a look at taking or having to discuss in entrance of the class,” acknowledged Ariana Hoet, govt clinical director of The Formative years Psychological Health Basis and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Formative years’s.

“Or on occasion children variety now not are making an strive to head to college on tale of they rep got an undiagnosed studying incapacity, making college annoying for them.”

The Formative years Psychological Health Basis offers free, proof-suggested resources to help parents and caregivers be aware the indicators of faculty avoidance and offers them the tools to help navigate it. Dr. Hoet says having conversations with children about why they variety now not are making an strive to head to college is mandatory in helping them handle their solid emotions.

“I peer this clinically the entire time. Formative years in actuality feel anxious. They variety now not are making an strive to head. They’re in hurt. And as parents, we’re making an strive to guard them. We variety now not need our children to be in hurt, and so the parent decides to wait on them house,” acknowledged Dr. Hoet.

“The roar with that is the more we steer definite of things that assemble us anxious, the larger the concern will get. And so, a parent feels admire they’re doing the upright roar by giving their baby a psychological effectively being day or keeping them house, however in actuality that is correct variety going to assemble the concern grow.”

And McChristy says vivid what resources are readily available is mandatory so parents can proactively help their children handle concerns about college avoidance.

“That is more doubtless to be my first piece of recommendation—to learn about resources and help sooner than time and be proactive in its place of reactive, on tale of I mediate I used to be more reactive. And if I could per chance per chance moreover swap that, I’d,” acknowledged McChristy. “I had been jumpy by the quantity of of us that I’ve talked to whose younger folk are going thru the identical roar.”

If a college avoidance field worsens when a baby refuses to recede their house and it continues for just a few days in a row, a therapist may per chance per chance moreover simply help. Cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) may per chance per chance moreover simply help decrease fear and enlarge college attendance. Treatment may per chance per chance moreover simply help a baby be aware they are able to variety things that assemble them anxious, and facing their fears will enlarge self belief over time.

This take into tale used to be performed on-line finally of the US by Ipsos on the KnowledgePanel from July 11 to July 14, 2025, and surveyed 1,015 U.S. parents with a baby below age 18.

This ballotis in step with a nationally handbook probability sample and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.2 share parts on the 95% self belief stage for outcomes in step along with your entire sample of fogeys. The margin of sampling error takes into tale the form conclude of 1.11.

Extra knowledge:
For more knowledge and free children’ psychological effectively being resources, please visit KidsMentalHealthFoundation.org