Over Half of New Zealand Students Failed to Attend School During Omicron

A girl arrives at school as children are welcomed by their principal on their first day at school after lockdowns ended in Auckland, New Zealand, on Nov. 17, 2021. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Less than half of New Zealand’s students regularly attended class during Term One of the Omicron wave, according to government figures.

The Ministry of Education’s school attendance report for Term One—covering February to April—found 46 percent of students across the country regularly attended school, a 20.4 percentage point drop compared to the same term in 2021 (pdf).