Brussels Truancy Rates Exceed 25% in Secondary Schools

More than one in four secondary school students in Brussels were problematically absent during the 2024-2025 school year, according to new data from the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (BISA). The figures, published in BISA’s Focus report No. 84, reveal that approximately 20,500 pupils — 26% of the secondary school population — missed at least nine half-days of school without a valid reason, marking a continued upward trend since the 2019-2020 academic year.

A Widening Gap with the Rest of Belgium

The disparity between Brussels and the rest of the country is significant and growing. In primary education, 14% of Brussels children were problematically absent in 2024-2025, compared to just 6% nationally, as VRT NWS reported. For secondary schools, the gap is even starker: 26% in Brussels versus 17% across Belgium.

“The difference with the rest of Belgium is significant and continues to grow,” BISA researchers noted, as cited by BRUZZ. The figures have been rising continuously since the 2019-2020 school year, with no sign of reversal.

Severe absenteeism — defined as missing more than 30 half-days without valid reason — affects 2% of primary pupils and 5% of secondary students.

Early School Leaving: Nearly One in Five Without a Diploma

Beyond truancy, the data paints a concerning picture of educational attainment. In 2024-2025, 2,143 Brussels young people — 18% of the cohort — left secondary school without a diploma or qualification, compared to 12% nationally, as La Libre and RTBF reported.

Notably, during the COVID-19 crisis, the number of students leaving without a diploma dropped drastically due to temporary rule changes that allowed more students to graduate. While Belgium has since returned to pre-crisis levels, Brussels has maintained some improvement, performing better now than before the pandemic.

Stark Municipal Disparities

The BISA report reveals sharp geographical divides within the Brussels-Capital Region. Truancy and early school leaving are concentrated in the poorer northern, western, and central municipalities. In Sint-Joost-ten-Node, over one-third of secondary students were problematically absent, while Sint-Pieters-Woluwe recorded just one-tenth.

For early school leaving, Sint-Gillis had the highest proportion at 25%, followed by Sint-Joost and Anderlecht. Sint-Pieters-Woluwe and Oudergem had the lowest rates at approximately 10%.

Brussels in the National Context

While Brussels’ figures are alarming, the city is not alone in facing this challenge. The urban core of Brussels (23%) shows comparable rates to Antwerp (24%) and Liège (24%). However, when considering the entire Brussels-Capital Region, the rate reaches 26%. Charleroi remains the worst-performing urban area in Belgium at 33%, according to VRT NWS.

BISA researchers emphasize that truancy is primarily an urban problem, with Belgian cities facing similar structural challenges related to socioeconomic deprivation.

The ‘Invisible’ Absenteeism

A particularly concerning finding from the report concerns what BISA calls “absolute truancy” — children of compulsory school age who are not registered in any school and not receiving home schooling. Currently, there are no reliable statistics on how many Brussels children fall into this category.

BISA researchers distinguish between “active truancy” (skipping lessons or dropping out) and “passive truancy” (loss of interest while still attending). The current figures measure active truancy. Absolute truancy represents a third, largely invisible phenomenon that the institute says deserves urgent attention, as it is difficult to measure — some children may attend unregistered private schools or be enrolled abroad while still registered in a Belgian municipality.

Analysis and Outlook

The widening gap between Brussels and the rest of Belgium suggests that current policies may not be adequately addressing the root causes of truancy in the capital. The strong correlation between geography, socioeconomic status, and truancy rates indicates that tackling educational inequality requires addressing broader social and economic disparities.

The Brussels government, through perspective.brussels, supports municipalities in implementing prevention programs against school truancy. However, the continuous rise in figures since 2019-2020 raises questions about the effectiveness of these measures.

With no reliable data on absolute truancy and persistent disparities between wealthy and disadvantaged neighborhoods, the challenge facing Brussels’ education system remains formidable. The BISA report serves as both a warning and a call for more targeted interventions — and better data collection — to ensure that every child in the capital has access to and remains engaged with education.