A large portion of secondary students are skipping school due to anxiety, a new survey reveals. The study found that about half of the pupils avoided attending at least once in the past year. The biggest triggers include the pressure to speak in front of peers, fear of falling behind, and the challenge of sitting still for long stretches. The research surveyed 2,000 secondary students and found numerous concerns that made some students refuse to go to school. Girls were 1.6 times more likely than boys to miss school because of anxiety.
The findings come from self-reported experiences and show that teenagers missed an average of 22 school days in the previous year. The research was conducted by Censuswide, a market research firm, and commissioned by Minerva Virtual Academy, an online school, to explore the emotional, social, and physical factors that complicate going through the school gates.
Exams and grades were the top worry (28%), followed by fear of speaking in front of classmates (21%). Other reasons included an overwhelming day-to-day environment, concerns about safety and feeling judged, fear of making mistakes, forgetting instructions, or being told off. Some students also felt lessons moved too quickly or were confusing, and they worried about not being able to ask questions when they didn’t understand. Safety concerns were noted when students believed some peers carried weapons or had conflicts with teachers.
Anxiety levels varied by year, with A-level students in Year 13 six times more likely than Year 7 students to miss school due to stress. The oldest students reported about 49 anxiety-related episodes across the year, compared with eight among 11-year-olds. Peak ages for skipping due to worry were 13, 16, and 17, with the issue particularly pronounced in Scotland and widening gaps for pupils from lower-income families.
Most students felt their parents generally understood the reasons for their anxiety: 28% said they always felt understood, and 26% said this happened often. By contrast, only 6% felt their teachers always understood their worries, while 11% said teachers did so often. A majority felt that teachers understood only sometimes (35%), and an equal share felt they rarely or never felt understood.
Proposed solutions from students included fewer exams, less homework, more empathetic teachers, quieter spaces, smaller class sizes, stronger actions against bullying, and being listened to about their feelings.
Hugh Viney, founder of Minerva Virtual Academy, commented that these pupils aren’t lazy or fragile. They are reacting rationally to environments that don’t feel safe, seen, or understood. He stressed that teachers aren’t to blame and that the system is overloaded, creating blind spots. He argued that simply telling children to be resilient won’t help if schools aren’t designed with their wellbeing in mind.
About a quarter of students (25%) said anxiety made them physically unwell, with symptoms like stomach aches, nausea, or fatigue, and another 25% reported feelings of depression, panic, or tearfulness.
The article also recounts the case of 15-year-old Ruby Neale, who struggled with anxiety after moving from Year 6 to Year 7 at a selective girls’ private school. Her mother described a highly demanding environment—strict uniforms, crowded corridors, loud classrooms, and constant pressure—that left Ruby exhausted and anxious. Despite accommodations, sensory overload from a heavily decorated classroom worsened her symptoms. Anxiety affected her sleep and appetite, and ongoing attendance battles strained family life, ultimately leading to enrollment in an online school.
