Attendance rates have been falling since 2019, with some students missing up to three weeks of class time each year.

Several Albury schools were included as part of a report on the issue carried out by the NSW Audit Office.

The report revealed about a third of students in years 1 to 10 attended school less than 90 per cent of the time between 2018 and the end of 2022.

The proportion of students in years 1 to 10 who attended school regularly fell from 74 per cent in the first semester of 2018 to 73.1 per cent in 2019 and 67.9 per cent in 2021.

NSW Education Department network director Troy Mott said the statewide figures were representative of what was happening in Albury.

Albury-based Mr Mott said there was no question parents played a major role in maintaining school attendance.

"We want to make sure to remind families on the importance of sending their children to school on a regular, consistent basis," he said.

Mr Mott said missing more than 10 per cent of school might put a student's education at risk.

The department said it had worked to improve the quality of student attendance data, analysis and reporting since 2018, but there were gaps in understanding the reasons for absences.

Mr Mott said going to school "was the gateway to education".

"When you're attending school, you're developing friendships, you're developing strategies that help you in life," he said.

"And you're also learning those key skills around, curriculum, reading and numeracy.

"We want to develop positive attendance strategies and that's what we're focusing on at the moment."

Albury North Public School principal Paul Smith said it was a "complex challenge for many students and families but we know being at school every day really counts".

"It's important that both the schools and parents implement strategies that encourage high expectations for children to be at school everyday," he said.

Preliminary data indicated that student attendance for first semester in 2022 fell further due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-related absences and natural disasters.

"While the department identified student attendance as a priority in 2018, it did not begin to provide targeted support to schools until late 2021," the audit said.

"The fall in attendance between 2018 and 2019 should have prompted earlier intervention."

Mr Mott said schools were seeing increasing levels of disengagement from students.

He said action was already being taken by the state's government schools, especially "encouraging and celebrating students when they're attending as well".

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