Levels of truancy at Barnfield South Academy were the highest out of all Luton secondary schools last year, Department of Education statistics show.
The school in Rotheram Avenue was also the worst performing in the town, with 54 per cent of students failing to achieve English and maths GCSEs at A* - C grades in 2011.
Unauthorised absence levels were at 2.28 per cent overall, compared to the England average of 1.41 per cent. Persistent truancy was at 15.7 per cent, compared to the national average of 9.5 per cent.
A Barnfield Federation spokesperson said: “Barnfield as a Federation takes truancy and absenteeism extremely seriously and has been successful in raising attendance levels to their highest ever through a plethora of innovative schemes.”
The spokesperson said the data does not portray the accurate and current situation, that persistent absence rates are at their lowest ever, well below the national average, and that this year both Barnfield Studio and South Academies achieved their highest ever results.
In 2007, only 17 per cent of Barnfield South students achieved A*-C GCSE grades, but this year it is 52 per cent, up by six per cent from last year.
Initiatives to tackle truancy at Barnfield include weekly attendance competitions and setting rigorous attendance targets.
Barnfield South had the second highest level of persistent unauthorised absences in Luton, beaten only by Barnfield Studio School where 21.9 per cent of pupils were persistently absent without permission in 2011.
A Barnfield spokesperson said: “The 21.9 per cent quoted for Barnfield Studio School with only a specialised cohort of 31 – equates to only six students, all of whom, with the excellent support and benefit of additional wrap around services provided by Barnfield as well as their usual lessons successfully achieved their qualifications this year.”
The Luton schools with the lowest levels of persistent truancy in 2011 were Denbigh High School with just 0.53 per cent, Challney Girls School with 4.7 per cent and Challney Boys School with 7 per cent; all well below the 9.5 per cent England average.
At Challney Boys, 77 per cent of students achieved English and maths GCSEs at A*-C grades in 2011, the highest in Luton, with Denbigh not far behind at 66 per cent.
Challney Girls saw 50 per cent of students achieve this in 2011.