In most schools, there is a big problem of low turnout of students. The aim of this article is to examine the quality of secondary school activity through the analysis of students’ attendance, reasons for their absence, the attitude of parents towards this phenomenon and to identify ways to prevent it. Low attendance of students is a big problem in most schools reported by both teachers and parents. It directly aff ects the academic performance, reducing its level and quality, and thus, the results of the work of the school. It is therefore necessary to look into the issue and investigate its causes. For this purpose, a survey was used for students of second and third classes in both high school and technical school in the Secondary School No. 7 in Warsaw. The study was conducted in spring of 2013 and was answered by students and their parents. The conducted survey provided valuable information to analyze the problem. Lessons learned from the survey enabled the implementation of the recovery plan which is designed and expected to improve attendance of students and the quality of performance of the school (better learning outcomes and annual external examinations). The main research objectives of the article are the identifi cation of the reasons of the low turnout of students, determination of the parents’ attitude to this problem and the ways of preventing it.