One in four pupils in secondary education in the Brussels-Capital Region recorded more than nine half-days of unjustified absence during the 2024-2025 school year, while nearly one in five left school without a qualification, according to a report published on Thursday by the Brussels Institute for Statistics and Analysis (IBSA).
The IBSA assessed school disengagement in Brussels using several indicators, including persistent absenteeism and early school leaving.
It noted that it could not measure the number of children of compulsory school age who are not enrolled in any school, as no reliable statistics are available for the Brussels-Capital Region.
During the 2024-2025 school year, 14% of primary school pupils and 26% of secondary school pupils in Brussels accumulated at least nine half-days of unjustified absence. Nationally, the figures stood at 6% and 17% respectively.
According to the report, the gap between Brussels and the rest of Belgium has widened, with absenteeism in the capital increasing steadily since the 2019-2020 school year.
Meanwhile, 18% of young people in Brussels left secondary education without obtaining a qualification, compared with 12% across Belgium.
Unlike absenteeism, the early school leaving rate in Brussels has remained relatively stable.
The wider Brussels urban area recorded a school absenteeism rate of 23%, similar to Antwerp and Liège, both at 24%. Within the Brussels-Capital Region alone, the rate rose to 26%, although it remained below Charleroi's 33%.
A similar trend was observed for early school leaving. The Brussels-Capital Region recorded an 18% rate, compared with 16% in Antwerp and 22% in Charleroi.
The report also highlighted significant geographical disparities, with municipalities in the north and west of Brussels more affected by persistent absenteeism and early school leaving than those in the south and east.
