根据最新研究，维多利亚州26,457名八年级学生脱离学校教育，预计将在其45年工作生涯中给州经济造成330亿澳元的损失 [1]。这一成本相当于维多利亚州GDP的5%，平均每户家庭超过13,000澳元 [1]。该研究将成本归因于学生的收入损失、生产率下降和社会服务开支增加，其中社会成本是直接财政成本的5倍 [1]。
学生脱离教育的问题日益严重。三分之一的7至9年级学生未能充分投入学习 [1]，而出勤率也在持续下滑——维多利亚州7至10年级的出勤率从2016年的92.4%下降到2025年的86.9% [1]。澳大利亚学生平均每年缺课约4周，从一年级到十年级累计缺课时间相当于一整年 [1]。
学生与学校的关系脆弱进一步加剧了这一困境。仅有50.2%的7至9年级学生表示在学校有归属感，52.8%表示教师激发了他们的学习兴趣 [1]。这些因素共同导致了包括缺课学生、课堂落后学生以及有天赋但脱离教育的学生在内的广泛教育脱离现象 [1]。
Research released by the Institute for Educational Reform has quantified the substantial economic impact of student disengagement in Victoria, finding that approximately 26,457 Year 8 students who have become disconnected from education will cost the state's economy an estimated 33 billion Australian dollars over their 45-year working careers [1]. This figure encompasses lost earnings, reduced productivity, and broader social costs stemming from absenteeism, classroom underperformance, and the abandonment of education by otherwise gifted students.
The scope of the problem extends beyond this single cohort. One-third of students across Years 7 to 9 fail to engage sufficiently with their learning, translating to an economic burden equivalent to 5 percent of Victoria's GDP, or more than 13,000 Australian dollars per household [1]. The social costs associated with student disengagement are particularly striking, reaching five times the direct fiscal costs [1]. Contributing to this crisis is a documented decline in school attendance, with the Year 7 to 10 attendance rate falling from 92.4 percent in 2016 to 86.9 percent in 2025 [1]. Australian students miss approximately four weeks of school annually on average, accumulating to an entire year of lost instruction by the time they complete Year 10 [1].
Survey data reveals deeper concerns about the student experience itself. Just 50.2 percent of Years 7 to 9 students report feeling a sense of belonging at school, while only 52.8 percent indicate that teachers inspire their learning [1]. These findings underscore that disengagement stems not merely from absenteeism but from fundamental disconnection within the school environment.