At least 850 pupils are missing from Swedish schools more than a month after the start of the autumn term, according to a survey by Swedish public radio. In some cases, local authorities have been unable to establish where either the children or their parents are.
The figure comes from a survey conducted by Sveriges Radio’s Ekot, which asked municipalities how many pupils had still not returned to school and could not be contacted after the summer break.
Of the 190 municipalities that responded, more than 90 said they had at least one pupil who had not returned. Sweden has 290 municipalities in total, meaning the survey does not provide a complete national count and the real number cannot be reliably estimated from the results.
In many cases, municipalities suspect that the children may currently be abroad. However, where authorities have been unable to contact their families, they cannot confirm where the pupils are or why they have not returned.
Municipalities do not always know where the pupils are
Several municipalities told Ekot that they were still actively trying to contact parents or guardians.
Andreas Lundholm, head of education in the municipality of Ljusnarsberg, said the lack of information makes it difficult for authorities to know what circumstances the children are living in.
“It is impossible to know what kind of environment they are in if we cannot reach them. It is our job to get them to school.”
According to Sveriges Radio, municipalities have in some cases visited families’ registered addresses while trying to establish contact. They may also report cases to social services or other public authorities when children cannot be located.
The cases do not necessarily mean that the pupils are missing persons. Some may have moved abroad without the relevant information having reached schools or municipalities, while other cases may involve prolonged school absence or more complex family circumstances.
Sweden requires municipalities to investigate prolonged absence
School attendance is compulsory for almost all children registered as residents in Sweden from the age of six.
According to the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket), schools must investigate repeated or prolonged absences, regardless of whether the absence was initially considered authorised or unauthorised. A child’s home municipality is responsible for ensuring that children subject to compulsory schooling receive the education to which they are entitled.
The rules also help explain why determining where a family lives matters. Children who are permanently living abroad are generally not subject to Swedish compulsory schooling, even if they remain registered in Sweden, but it is the municipality that must assess whether an overseas stay should be regarded as permanent.
The Ekot survey therefore captures several potentially different situations rather than a single category of school dropout.
What the 850 confirmed cases have in common is that, more than a month into the school term, the municipalities that responded had still been unable to establish contact with those pupils. For local authorities, that means not only an education issue but, in some cases, uncertainty about the children’s circumstances and whether further intervention is required.
