Volunteering, Crime and Secondary School Attendance: Evidence From Queensland

Student absenteeism is a critical issue in Australia and worldwide, with alarming declines in attendance rates further exacerbated by the COVID‐19 pandemic. While research has long highlighted the relevance of school and family factors, less is known about how the broader community context shapes attendance. This study draws on pre‐pandemic longitudinal data from Queensland state schools, linked to area‐level data on volunteering, violent crime and other community characteristics, to examine how community context relates to school attendance. Using quantile regression models, we find that schools situated in communities with higher volunteering rates tend to record higher attendance, whereas those in areas with higher violent‐crime rates show lower attendance, even after accounting for socio‐economic and geographic characteristics. The findings suggest that community cohesion and informal social control may play a meaningful role in supporting student attendance and highlight the value of educational policy approaches that integrate education, regional and community development strategies.