Two in Three Ukrainian Children Missing School Say Shelling Is the Reason
KYIV, 3 September 2026 – Two in three Ukrainian children miss school because of shelling or fighting, according to a needs assessment by World Vision.
Security concerns were by far the most commonly cited barrier to education, accounting for 67% of reported reasons for children missing school. Economic hardship and disability each accounted for 7%, while social integration and distance or lack of transport were each cited by 3%.
The pattern held across the five regions assessed, Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska, Mykolaivska, Zaporizka, and Chernihivska, where World Vision surveyed 558 children and assessed 19 schools.
Nearly half of the children surveyed (49%) said they felt worried or scared because of bombing or shelling near their area, and almost one in ten pointed specifically to the lack of a safe shelter at their own school.
"The attacks are becoming more frequent and deadly. When the air raid siren sounds, children have to leave the classroom and go to the shelter. Sometimes they stay there for hours. But you cannot ask a child to focus on school when they are worried about the next explosion," said a parent from Mykolaiv.
“July recorded 437 civilian deaths and 2,610 injuries across Ukraine, a 30 per cent increase from June and a 70 per cent increase compared with July last year. As around 3.5 million children begin a new school year, the escalation in attacks is making it increasingly difficult for them to learn safely and without interruption,” said Arman Grigoryan, Response Director, World Vision Ukraine Crises Response.
“Schools need safe, properly equipped shelters where children can be protected when attacks occur, and they need access to mental health and psychosocial support to cope with the impact of continued violence,” he added.
World Vision is calling on donors and education actors to expand safe, flexible learning options, including adequately equipped school shelters and structured, curriculum-aligned catch-up support; to scale up school-based psychosocial support, given the shortage of specialists reported across assessed schools; and to strengthen routine tracking of attendance and learning progression, so that children at risk of falling out of the education system are identified and supported before disengagement becomes permanent.
Through its educational programming, including catch-up sessions, specialised psychosocial care, and professional training, World Vision Ukraine Crisis Response has reached over 279,000 people.
ENDS
Notes to Editor:
World Vision's needs assessment, Integrated Education, Psychosocial Support and Child Protection for Children in Ukraine, examines children's ability to safely access, remain in, and benefit from education across five conflict-affected oblasts – Dnipropetrovska, Kharkivska, Mykolaivska, Zaporizka, and Chernihivska. It draws on surveys of 558 children, assessments of 19 schools, 12 focus group discussions with teachers and parents/caregivers, and 4 key informant interviews with national education, child protection, and mental health coordination stakeholders, conducted between September 2025 and January 2026. The assessment used a non-probability, school-based sample; findings are indicative of the locations assessed and should not be presented as nationally representative.
About World Vision Ukraine Crisis Response:
World Vision Ukraine Crisis Response has supported children and families affected by the war since March 2022, reaching more than 2.3 million people, including over 1 million children, through programmes focused on child protection, education, mental health and psychosocial support, livelihoods, cash assistance, winterisation and basic needs.
For further information, please contact:
Laurentia Jora | World Vision Ukraine Crisis Response Advocacy & Communications Manager | Email: laurentia_jora@wvi.org