The Department of Basic Education in South Africa acknowledges that 99 percent of primary school-aged children attend school,
but attendance at secondary school level is not yet universal. Low levels of secondary school attendance contribute to
poverty and unemployment. We investigated the socio-demographic elements associated with school attendance among
secondary school-aged learners in South Africa. We adopted a quantitative research approach and a cross-sectional design.
The positivist research paradigm was applied, and the 2019 General Household Survey data (nationally representative
survey) were used. The family socialisation theory and household production framework were embraced as the theoretical
framework in this study. Descriptive analysis and cross-tabulations were conducted, and a Chi-square test was performed to
measure the association between school attendance and learners’ characteristics. Furthermore, logistic regression was
conducted to explore the factors associated with school attendance. Study findings agree with the assertions of the family
socialisation theory and household production framework. We found that the overall school attendance level was 93.5 percent and
older learners had significantly lower levels of school attendance. High levels of educational qualification of household
heads inspired higher school attendance as the odds of school attendance for learners quadrupled when household heads
attained secondary education relative to those with unschooled heads (OR = 4.1; p < 0.001). Being a Coloured learner, being
part of a large household, being an orphan, and living in a low-income household were associated with reduced levels of
school attendance. We recommend targeting and supporting learners who are over-aged for their grades, Coloured, and with
poor or educationally low family backgrounds via conditional cash transfers to improve school attendance in the South
African population.