Students in the Northwest Territories miss school more than one day every week. This means they are behind in school by the time they finish high school.

The report shows that attendance is worse in smaller communities. In Tłı̨chǫ communities, attendance is as low as 35 per cent in secondary grades.

Agata Gutkowska says smaller communities face challenges like staffing shortages and limited services. She is a spokesperson for the education department.

The territory has seen a decline in attendance since the COVID-19 pandemic. Numbers have stabilized but not recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

CBC News reached out to all 10 school boards across the territory. They did not receive a response.

Some advocates say low attendance is not a new problem. It is only going to get worse.

Rita Mueller says the crisis will be felt by mid-September. She is the president of the N.W.T. Teachers’ Association. The education sector has many issues. Students will not get the help they need.

Students' needs will not be met.

The education sector has been dealing with underfunding and a lack of teachers. There are not enough counsellors and speech therapists. This discourages students from attending school.

Mueller and a Yellowknife MLA fear the numbers will get worse. The territory will not have funding through Jordan’s Principle.

Jordan’s Principle ensures First Nations kids get timely access to public health and social services. It prevents bureaucratic delays over which government should pay.

Shauna Morgan says she is worried about children being left behind. She is the MLA for Yellowknife North.

Morgan says it is hard to look at the education system and not be worried.

Funding has not kept up in a decade. Morgan worries about the number of positions lost at schools. This includes support positions like speech language pathologists and mental health support.

Morgan says the loss of Jordan's Principle is the final crack where the system is appearing to crumble.

Mueller says the funding shortfalls will affect Indigenous students.

There will be fewer adults in the school system to support those specific needs.

The territory says it echoes those concerns.

The territory announced $35 million to fill the hole left in the budget. This is after the loss of $58 million through Jordan’s Principle. Schools still have tens of millions in shortfall for the upcoming school year.

Mueller says the territory has been struggling to attract and retain teachers. There is a nationwide teacher shortage.

Teachers often leave the community within the first year or two due to housing and affordability challenges.

This is frustrating for students because they are just starting to develop a relationship and trust. Then those individuals are gone and they're starting all over again.

An advocate is speaking out against changes to Jordan's Principle funding program.

Gutkowska says attendance and workforce stability are closely connected. The government is working with educators and families in smaller communities.

Aurora College will offer teacher training programs next fall. This is part of a long-term initiative to train teachers in the North.

The N.W.T. is one of the places in Canada where completing secondary education is not legally mandatory. There isn’t a territory-wide policy to grade attendance.

Morgan and Mueller do not advocate for making secondary education mandatory as a solution.

Morgan says there are good reasons why people don't have the same broad buy-in as to the importance of school. This is because in the past, the purpose of education has been colonial.

Morgan is hoping families, schools, and government officials can come up with creative ways to encourage attendance.

Some examples include changing school schedules to minimize summer breaks and having an entertaining school bus.

Morgan says let's put our heads together and not be afraid to try new things.

The education department is in talks with the federal government about the impact of losing funding through Jordan’s Principle.

The territory is implementing a renewed junior kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum. This adds well-being initiatives and Indigenous knowledge into learning.

These efforts are intended to increase student engagement, strengthen a sense of belonging, and make learning more relevant to students' lives and future goals.

Morgan and Mueller are hoping families and community members encourage students to engage in learning. They should reach out to the government about specific needs.