The Effects of an Absent Father on Academic Achievement

School Attendance

• According to the website of the National Center for Fathering, a study of 25,000 children found that those with absent fathers had poor attendance records and higher drop-out rates than children with two parents. An astonishing 71 percent of dropouts are fatherless, Psychology Today reports. Fatherless children are more likely to be excluded from school, and, as a result, are less likely to attain academic and professional qualifications as adults.

Grades and Academic Achievement

• The Fatherhood Coalition website warns that children from fatherless homes have lower test scores and lower intelligence scores, and they often lack future aspirations. In a study cited by the American Psychological Association, involving 44 third-grade boys, those who were younger than 5 when their fathers left were "generally underachievers," and those who were older than 5 when their fathers left functioned somewhat below grade level. Those with involved fathers consistently performed above grade level.

Behavioral

• Children without fathers often have a difficult time with social adjustment, which translates into difficulty with friendships and an intimidating attitude that the child uses to mask his hurt and anger, according to the Psychology Today website. Eighty-five percent of children with behavioral problems don't have a father at home, the Deseret News reports. Young people lacking a father are also more likely to run away and engage in violent behavior, and they are often expelled or must leave a traditional education behind for juvenile detention.

Relationships

• According to the UK's Institute for the Study of Civil Society, fatherless students are 50 times more likely to have problems with their teachers. They are more likely to be anti-social, and fatherless boys, in particular, have a greater chance of being openly hostile, making for an uneasy situation for both teachers and classmates. Children of absentee fathers often join gangs to feel a sense of belonging because they struggle to form healthy, lasting relationships. They also mingle with the wrong crowd and fall into drug and alcohol abuse.