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Below 75% attendance in Class 10 or 12, whether your child sits the board exam depends on why they were absent and whether that reason is on paper. For CBSE schools, the rules are in CBSE's circular of 4 August 2025 on attendance and its standard operating procedure (SOP) for condoning shortages. It covers the 2025-26 session, so ask your school whether a newer one applies for 2026-27. For the student version, see our guide to short attendance rules and documents.
How does the 75% attendance rule work?
Under Rules 13 and 14 of the CBSE Examination Bye-Laws, a minimum of 75% attendance is mandatory to appear for the board exams, according to the August 2025 CBSE circular. The board offers a 25% relaxation only for medical emergencies, national or international sports events, and other serious reasons supported by documents.
Three details matter:
Attendance is calculated as of 1 January of the academic session, not on exam day.
Leave without a written request counts as unauthorised absence. For medical leave, the application and documents go in immediately after the leave.
Students found absent without leave records during a CBSE inspection may be treated as "dummy" candidates and not allowed to sit the exam.
Which reasons are accepted, and what documents do you need?
The SOP attached to the CBSE circular lists five grounds. Each needs a request from the parent and the school's recommendation on CBSE's proforma, plus:
Prolonged illness: medical certificates for the period of absence from a Government doctor, and all medical reports and X-rays.
Loss of a father or mother, or a similar event: a death certificate from the relevant authority.
Any other reason of similar seriousness: a certificate from the relevant government authority.
National-level sport organised by CBSE or SGFI: a certificate from the relevant authority.
National or international sport under CBSE's sports SOPs: a recommendation letter from the Sports Authority of India.
Cases without the mandatory documents "will be summarily rejected", the SOP says. If your child travels for competitions, see our guide to Olympiad camps and school leave.
What are the deadlines?
Parents do not apply to CBSE; the school sends the cases to the regional office. The SOP's schedule:
1 January: attendance is counted up to this date.
7 January: cases must reach the regional office. No case is accepted after this.
By 21 January: the regional office tells the school about any missing documents.
By 28 January: the school sends what was missing.
7 February: the last date for CBSE approvals.
Once a school reports a shortage, a later claim that attendance is complete is treated as manipulation, so get the figures right before the school files.
How many more days can your child miss? A worked example
Here is the CBSE 75% rule applied to made-up numbers. In mid-November, your daughter's school has held 130 working days so far and she has attended 92, which is 70.8%. The school expects 35 more working days before 1 January, making 165 in all.
75% of 165 is 123.75, so she needs 124 days present.
She has 92, so she needs 32 of the remaining 35 days.
She can miss at most 3 more days and still reach 75% without condonation.
If she misses more, she can sit the exam only if the shortage is condoned on one of the five grounds above, with the documents.
What should you do before 7 January? A parent's plan
Ask the class teacher in writing for working days held, days attended and days left before 1 January, then do the sum above.
List every absence by date and reason, and check each has a leave application on file.
For illness, collect Government doctor certificates covering the dates, with reports.
Hand the file and your request letter to the school by mid-December, and ask for a receipt.
Ask whether the school will mark your child "recommended" on the proforma. If not, ask why, in writing.
The request letter: "Dear Principal, my child [name], Class [class and section], was absent from [date] to [date] because of [illness]. I enclose the medical certificates and reports. I request the school to recommend condonation of my child's attendance shortage under the CBSE SOP and forward it to the Regional Office before 7 January. Please acknowledge receipt."
How can your child catch up on what they missed?
Our four-week plan for returning to school after a long illness helps with pacing. For the gaps themselves, Fermi's AI tutor works out what a student already knows and builds a plan for the session, so your child can start with the topics they missed rather than a full syllabus.
CISCE and state boards set their own rules, so ask your school for the current circular, then follow the same steps: get the numbers, document the reasons, file early.
