'Quite serious': Rising number of students missing more school since COVID

But just how big the problem is remains unclear because of a lack of detailed publicly available data - something the region's education support organisation Beyond the Bell wants to see change.

Executive officer Davina Forth called for the government to release more detailed school data during an education inquiry that was held in Melbourne last week.

But it was just one of the issues she raised at the state government inquiry which put a spotlight on the successes the organisation had had on education in the region.

She said the inquiry was not about pointing out all the dysfunctions, failures and low points but looking for things that were going to help boost education and help support the education system in their work.

Ms Forth said she had highlighted the positive impact of programs like the Neil Porter Legacy and Standing Tall as well as its Stepping Stones for School program which helps kinder children to transition to school.

That "collective impact" work in conjunction with the community was now being looked at as a model for the rest of the state.

Beyond the Bell was also included in a $1.7 million funding allocation in last week's state budget to continue its work over the next four years.

"It allows us to keep making a measurable difference in the lives of young people in our region, ensuring they have the support they need to succeed in school and beyond," Ms Forth said.

But getting a clear picture of what was happening in education across the south-west was hard to measure - hampered by a lack of access to state government data.

To create targeted approaches to helping students, Ms Forth said she had requested information - such as attendance and retention rates - be broken down into local government areas.

Ms Forth said much of the data available was "opt-in" and did not give a "good clear picture".

She said the newest Australian Bureau of Statistics data showed there had been a decrease in retention rates across the south-west.

"However, when I talk to schools it seems that it's quite a bit more serious than what that data says," she said.

"The data that is available shows that there has been a decrease in attendance."

Since 2019, across the south-west the number of students who have had 20 or more days absent from school had almost doubled.

"I've had conversations with the department about this and discussed the data, but again, it's not publicly accessible data, so what that number is, it's hard to say," Ms Forth said

"Exactly how bad is it? We do need the data to substantiate. That is probably the biggest area that needs to be addressed."

Ms Forth said Beyond the Bell had spoken to students about the reasons behind the growing number of absences.

"It's a whole gamut of things. It's not just one area. It's quite complex," she said.

"Higher rates of anti-social behaviour in the school, there's more bullying, there's more wellbeing and mental health issues, higher rates of anxiety," she said.

Ms Forth said there was also a feeling among students they were allowed to do their work at home during the lockdowns, so why do they need to be back in the class now.

"The impact that COVID has had on children and young people. I don't think we've even begun to realise what that is going to look like for the future," she said.