Community leaders in West Australia's north say truancy is becoming a pressing problem as new statistics show student attendance has dropped in almost every public school in the region.
Education Department figures reveal Kimberley schools recorded a median attendance rate of 62.9 per cent in 2022, which is 23.7 per cent lower than the state average.
Truancy has been identified as a key contributor to youth crime across the Kimberley, with community leaders calling for a change in tact.
Ninety-five per cent of Kimberley public schools recorded lower attendance rates in 2022 than in 2020, with 21 out of the 22 schools affected.
Fitzroy Crossing High School and Halls Creek District High School recorded some of the lowest secondary school attendance in the region, with rates below 40 per cent in 2020.
Two years later, figures have dropped further and both schools recorded about 25 per cent attendance.
Secondary school attendance at Jungdranung Remote Community School, a small community school near Kununurra, has dropped from 100 per cent to 27.1 per cent.
Wangkatjungka Remote Community School, near Fitzroy Crossing, also experienced a significant decline.
In 2020, the school recorded 82.8 per cent attendance, which dropped to 57.7 per cent in 2022.
However, Looma Remote Community School bucked the trend, increasing attendance from 55.4 per cent in 2020 to 61.1 per cent in 2022.
Home pressures impact attendance
Winun Ngari Aboriginal Corporation remote school attendance strategy project officer Rohoni McCumstie said trouble at home could keep children away from school.
"It's making kids stay up at night and they're fatigued," she said.
"We try to help parents too, referring them onto counselling.
"Kids really disengage from school and it's really not good for them, mentally, not to interact with other kids."
Ms McCumstie has been working with students at Derby District High School, where secondary attendance rates were below 50 per cent in 2022.
East Kimberley also struggling
Secondary attendance at Wyndham District High School has also dwindled, falling to 47.7 per cent in 2022.
Primary attendance at the school has decreased by 10 per cent over the past two years.
Wyndham Youth Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Neville D'Silva says schools need to take a better approach to engage students.
"Everybody learns differently," he said.
"Some of these teachers are doing a good job. Sometimes, there's no passion from the teacher and kids don't feel that passion for learning."
Mr D'Silva says intergenerational trauma means students do not prioritise their education.
"They've got other issues than coming to school," he said.
"School is the last thing on their minds."
Education Department working with communities
Kimberley Director of Education Paul Bridge said attendance rates were a prominent issue across the region.
"We acknowledge the ongoing challenges and work required in the Kimberley to improve student engagement and attendance," he said.
"Schools continue to seek the support and guidance of our communities, through community-led approaches in addressing attendance rates going forward."
Mr Bridge said the department was looking into alternative learning methods to engage students.
"The department has activated a long-term strategy across the Kimberley designed to engage school, families, communities and service providers in making changes on the ground," he said.
"This includes implementing learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom settings and working to identify attendance barriers and bolster opportunities for engagement."
