Starting high school can be an exciting time. Students meet new people, study new subjects and gain more independence. But for many, high school can also feel harder to manage.

The Institute for Educational Reform reports about one in three Victorian students in years 7 to 9 show signs of disengagement from school. This can include patterns of student absences, drops in students’ willingness to learn, and a disconnect between students and their broader school community.

So why are the first years of secondary school so difficult?

This is what our research, published by the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in May, says.

There is a lot going on for young people as they start Year 7. As well as starting high school their bodies and brains are going through big transitions as they move into adolescence.

In our research, we set out to understand whether school disengagement was caused by the developmental changes that come with early adolescence or the transition to high school.

A 2022 education reform in South Australia gave us a rare opportunity to better tease apart the effects of growing older from the effects of changing schools.

Before 2022, in South Australia, students generally started secondary school in Year 8. In 2022, the reform moved the starting point to Year 7. This meant two groups entered secondary school in the........

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