CBSE board toolLast checked 30 October 20263 official sources
CBSE 75% attendance rule and calculator for Class 10 and 12
My child sits the CBSE Class 10 or 12 board exam. How many more school days can they miss before 1 January and still meet the 75% attendance rule, and what happens if they fall short?
Quick answer
A regular Class 10 or 12 student needs at least 75% attendance to sit the CBSE board exam, counted up to 1 January of the session. Say your school holds 200 working days by 1 January: you need 150 days present, so you can miss 50. If you fall short, only your school can ask CBSE to condone it, for reasons such as a long illness or national-level sports, and the case has to reach the regional office by 7 January with the documents CBSE lists. Leave you never applied for in writing counts as unauthorised absence. The calculator below uses the dates in CBSE's latest attendance circular (4 August 2025); we found no 2026-27 reissue on cbse.gov.in on 30 October 2026.
CurrentApplies to 2026-27 (board exams 2027)Last checked 30 October 2026
This page may be out of date. It was due for a re-check on 8 February 2027. Confirm every rule with the official source before acting on it.
The latest attendance circular CBSE lists is dated 4 August 2025, issued for the 2025-26 session. No 2026-27 reissue was listed on 30 October 2026 (cbse.gov.in home circulars list, newest items the LOC reminders of 14-21.10.2026). Re-check the circulars page before each update.
Will your child reach 75% attendance by 1 January, and what if they won't?[1]
✓
Do it now
On track: keep every leave in writing
The calculator shows days to spare at 1 January, and every day off so far has a written leave application on file.
?
Check first
Close to the line: ask the school for its count
The calculator shows only a few spare days, or your own count and the school's register don't match. The register, signed daily by the class teacher, is what CBSE inspects.
–
Not for you
Don't count on condonation
The days were missed for a reason CBSE doesn't list. CBSE relaxes the 75% rule only for exigencies such as medical emergencies, national or international sports and other serious reasons, backed by documents.
!
Get help
Short for a serious reason: go to the school now
Long illness, the loss of a parent, a similar serious reason or authorised sports. Only the school can send the case to the CBSE regional office, and it needs your documents first.
Key dates and rules
🎯Minimum attendance
75% to be eligible for the Class 10 and 12 board exams (Examination Bye-laws, Rules 13 and 14)[1]
The count runs from the day Class 10 or 12 teaching began up to 1 January. Your percentage is the days present out of the days the school held classes. Sundays and holidays aren't days held.[3]
Have ready
The school calendar
The days held so far, from the class teacher
2
Check where you stand Today, then once a month
Enter the days held, the days present and the school days left before 1 January in the calculator on this page. It shows your percentage now, the best you can reach, and how many more days you can miss.[1]
Have ready
Days held and days present
School days per week (5 or 6)
Holidays left before 1 January
3
Apply for every leave in writing, at the time Every day off
Give the school a written leave application for every absence. For illness, hand in the medical papers as soon as you are back. Leave with no written request counts as unauthorised absence.[1]
Have ready
The leave letter
The medical certificate and reports, for illness
A photo of each letter you hand in
4
Compare your count with the school register Each month to December
Schools must update the attendance register daily, signed by the class teacher, and keep it ready for CBSE inspection. If your number and the school's differ, sort it out now, while leave letters can still be found.[1]
Have ready
Your own list of days off, with dates
Copies of your leave letters
5
If you will fall short, hand the documents to the school Before 1 January
Only the school can recommend a shortage case. Give it a written request from the parent and the documents CBSE lists for your reason. CBSE rejects cases without the mandatory documents outright.[1]
Have ready
A request letter from the parent
For illness: a Government doctor's certificate for the days missed, plus all reports and X-rays
For the loss of a parent: the death certificate
For sports: the certificate, or the Sports Authority of India letter
6
The school sends the case by 7 January Reaches the RO by 7 Jan
The school sends shortage cases, with documents and its recommendation in CBSE's proforma, to the regional office by 7 January. The regional office flags any gap by 21 January, and the school must fix it by 28 January.[1]
Have ready
Copies of everything you gave the school
A phone number the school can reach you on in January
7
Wait for CBSE's decision By 7 February
CBSE's last date for approvals is 7 February of the exam year. Once the school has reported a shortage, CBSE won't accept a later message saying the attendance is now complete.[1]
Have ready
The school's word on whether the case was approved
This calculator runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere. It follows CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/Shortage-Attend./2025 dated 04.08.2025 and works from your own count, but the school's attendance register is the record CBSE goes by.
Reasons CBSE accepts for condoning a shortage, and the documents the school needs
Reason (CBSE SOP)
Documents the school needs from you
Prolonged illness
Parent's request; medical certificate(s) from a Government doctor for the period of absence; all medical reports, X-rays and so on; the school's recommendation
Loss of father or mother, or a similar incident
Request from the parent or guardian; death certificate from the concerned authority; the school's recommendation
Any other reason of a similar serious nature
Parent's request; certificate from the concerned government authority supporting the reason; the school's recommendation
Authorised national-level sports organised by CBSE or SGFI
Parent's request; certificate from the concerned authority; the school's recommendation
Authorised national or international sports, as per CBSE's SOPs
Parent's request; recommendation letter from the Sports Authority of India; the school's recommendation; strictly within the schedule
From the SOP attached to the circular. The school collects these from you and sends them to the regional office with its recommendation in CBSE's proforma. CBSE says it rejects cases without the mandatory documents outright.[1]
The condonation calendar after 1 January
Step
Last date
Attendance counted
1 January of the academic session
School sends shortage cases, with documents, to the regional office
7 January
Regional office tells the school about any deficiency
21 January
School fixes the deficiency
28 January
CBSE's last date for approvals
7 February of the exam year
Schedule from the SOP attached to the circular.[1]
What goes wrong
A day off with no written leave application
What happens: It counts as unauthorised absence.[1]
Fix: Write the letter the day the child returns, and keep a photo of it.
The medical certificate is missing or comes from the wrong doctor
What happens: CBSE's list asks for a Government doctor's certificate for the days missed, and it rejects cases without the mandatory documents.[1]
Fix: Get the certificate while the child is being treated, not in January.
The case reaches the regional office after 7 January
What happens: CBSE says it accepts no case after 7 January.[1]
Fix: Hand the school your documents by early December so it has time to file.
The school reports a shortage, then says the days are complete
What happens: CBSE treats a later change as manipulation and keeps the attendance as first reported.[1]
Fix: Settle any dispute over the count before the school reports.
A surprise inspection finds the student absent with no leave record
What happens: CBSE may treat the student as a non-attending or dummy candidate and not allow the board exam.[1]
Fix: Keep leave records current all year, not only near 1 January.
Variants: when the steps change
If this is you
What changes
Subject with practicals
You also need 75% of the practical classes in that subject. The school won't let you take that practical exam without it.[3]
You changed schools
Attendance at the previous school counts, as long as the state or UT education department recognised it.[3]
You failed last year and rejoined
Attendance is counted from the 1st of the month after that result, up to the 1st of the month before the board exam month.[3]
Sports meets, NCC and NSS camps
Days at authorised sports meets of inter-school level or higher and at NCC or NSS camps, travel days included, count as full attendance.[3]
How CBSE counts attendance
The Examination Bye-laws count attendance from the day teaching of Class 10 or 12 begins up to the 1st of the month before the board exam month, and CBSE's SOP fixes that date as 1 January. Your percentage is the days you were present divided by the days the school held classes in that period. If you study a subject with practicals, you also need 75% of the practical classes in that subject.
The bye-laws count days spent at authorised inter-school (or higher) sports meets and NCC or NSS camps, travel days included, as full attendance. If you changed schools, attendance at the previous recognised school counts too.[3]
If you are short of 75%
You cannot apply to CBSE yourself; the school recommends the case. CBSE says it allows a 25% relaxation only for exigencies such as medical emergencies, national or international sports events and other serious reasons, and only with documents. Once the school reports a shortage, CBSE will not accept a later message saying the attendance is now complete. It calls that manipulation, and the record stays as it was.
The circular also warns that if a surprise inspection finds students absent without leave records, CBSE may treat them as non-attending or dummy candidates and not let them sit the exam.[1]
What to do now
Apply for every leave in writing when you take it. For illness, hand in the medical certificate as soon as you are back, and keep copies. Ask the class teacher for your attendance count once a month, so you know where you stand well before 1 January.
CBSE has not listed a 2026-27 attendance circular yet (checked 30 October 2026). The latest one, dated 4 August 2025, repeats the same rules for the 2025-26 session. We will update this page if a new circular changes any date.[1]
Tips and tricks
Keep a dated photo of every leave letter on your phone. If the school's count is ever disputed, that is your record.
For a long illness, get the certificate from a Government doctor. CBSE's list for condoning illness asks for one, along with all the medical reports.
Ask the school to mark sports meet and NCC or NSS camp days as present. The bye-laws count them, travel days included.
Count only days the school held classes. Sundays and holidays don't count against you.
If the child takes a practical subject, ask for the practical attendance too. The 75% rule applies to each practical subject on its own.
Free printable
Print the working copy
CBSE 75% attendance: the one-page tracker: one A4 page, black and white, with the decision, every step with a date box, and blanks to fill in.
CBSE 75% attendance: the one-page tracker
Parents of Class 10 and 12 students sitting the CBSE board exams in 2027; attendance counts to 1 January
Decide
Will your child reach 75% attendance by 1 January, and what if they won't?
Do it now: On track: keep every leave in writing
Check first: Close to the line: ask the school for its count
Not for you: Don't count on condonation
Get help: Short for a serious reason: go to the school now
Checklist
Done
Step
Date
Know the count: start of Class 10/12 teaching to 1 January
Calculator run in October
Every day off has a written leave letter
Medical papers handed in on return
Count matched with the school register in November
Count matched again in December
Practical-class attendance checked, if any
Documents with the school by early December, if short
Case at the regional office by 7 January
CBSE decision by 7 February
Student's class and section
Days held and days present, as on (date)
School days left before 1 January
Class teacher's name and phone
Source: CBSE circular CBSE/COORD/Shortage-Attend./2025 dated 04.08.2025. Check the official circular before you act. correctpath.in/cbse/attendance-calculator/
Every step above cites a numbered source; the full list is at the end of the page. If the board issues a newer circular, it overrides this page.
Questions people ask
Is the 75% attendance rule compulsory for the 2027 board exams?
Yes. The 75% minimum is in Rules 13 and 14 of CBSE's Examination Bye-laws, the board's standing exam rules. CBSE's latest circular on it, dated 4 August 2025, repeated it for the 2025-26 session, and we found no 2026-27 reissue on cbse.gov.in on 30 October 2026.[1]
How many days can I miss and still have 75% attendance?
About a quarter of the days your school holds classes up to 1 January. Multiply the working days by 0.75 and round up: that is how many days you must be present. With 200 working days you need 150, so you can miss 50. The calculator does this with your school's own numbers.[1]
What is the 25% relaxation in CBSE attendance?
CBSE's circular says the board gives a 25% relaxation only for exigencies such as medical emergencies, national or international sports events and other serious reasons, and only with documents. The school has to recommend each case, and CBSE decides.[1]
What is the last date for CBSE attendance?
CBSE calculates attendance as of 1 January of the academic session. Schools must get shortage cases to the CBSE regional office by 7 January, and CBSE says it accepts no case after that.[1]
Can I sit the board exam with less than 75% attendance?
Only if CBSE condones the shortage. Your school has to recommend you, with documents such as a government doctor's medical certificate for illness or a death certificate for the loss of a parent. CBSE's last date for approvals is 7 February.[1]
Does medical leave count as present?
No. CBSE lists prolonged illness as a reason to condone a shortage, so medical leave helps only through condonation, and only if you applied in writing, with the certificate, when you took the leave.[1]
What happens if the school has no leave application on record?
CBSE treats it as unauthorised absence. If an inspection finds students absent without leave records, CBSE may treat them as non-attending or dummy candidates and not let them sit the exam.[1]
Do sports meets and NCC camps count as attendance?
Yes. The Examination Bye-laws count days at authorised inter-school or higher sports meets and NCC or NSS camps, including travel days, as full attendance.[3]
Can a parent apply to CBSE directly to condone a shortage?
No. Only the school can recommend the case. It sends it to the CBSE regional office with your documents and its recommendation in CBSE's proforma, and the case has to arrive by 7 January.[1]
Will the school tell parents if attendance is short?
It should. The circular tells schools to write to parents by Registered or Speed Post, or email, when a student often misses school or falls short, and to warn that the student may not be allowed to sit the board exam. Don't wait for that letter; ask the class teacher for the count.[1]