Attendance sheet template: free Excel and printable PDF
A monthly attendance register for up to 40 students or trainees. The Excel version counts present, absent and leave days and works out each person's attendance percentage for you.
Free to use, edit and share. Opens in Microsoft Office, Google Docs and Sheets, and LibreOffice.
What is in the template
- One row per student with name and roll number, and space for 40 students (insert rows for more).
- 31 day columns so one sheet covers any month.
- Dropdown marks: P for present, A for absent, L for leave and H for holiday.
- Automatic totals: present, absent and leave days per student, and the number present each day.
- Attendance percentage that ignores holidays, so a school holiday does not lower anyone's figure.
- Red flag below 75%, the minimum many schools, boards and universities use. You can change the cut-off.
- Colour coding: absences show in red and presents in green, so patterns stand out.
- Printable landscape PDF with 31 rows and a column for every day.
How to fill in an attendance sheet
- Write the class or batch, the month and the teacher's name at the top.
- List students in the same order every month (usually by roll number) so records are easy to compare.
- Take attendance at the same point in each session, ideally in the first five minutes.
- Mark every student every day. A blank is not the same as absent, and it makes totals unreliable.
- Mark holidays as H for the whole column, so they are excluded from percentages.
- At month end, check anyone flagged in red and follow up with the student or parent.
- Save each month as a new copy (or a new tab) and keep them together for the year.
How attendance percentage is calculated
Attendance % = days present ÷ (days present + days absent + days on leave) × 100. Holidays are left out. For example, a student present 18 days, absent 2 and on leave 2 has 18 ÷ 22 = 82%.
Some institutions count approved leave as present. If that is your rule, change the percentage formula to add the leave column to the top of the fraction.
Attendance sheet formats for different settings
| Setting | What to track | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| School class | Daily presence, monthly %, 75% eligibility | One sheet per section per month |
| Coaching institute | Presence per batch session, late arrivals | Share monthly % with parents |
| College lecture | Presence per lecture, subject-wise % | Keep one sheet per subject |
| Corporate training | Attendance per session, completion | Add employee ID and department columns |
| Online class | Joined, time in class | Use the platform's automatic attendance |
Taking attendance for online classes
Paper and spreadsheet registers work, but for live online classes they add work the software can do for you. On AcadifyLab, attendance is recorded automatically when learners join a live class, on every plan. You get attendance reports by class and learner without marking anything by hand. See virtual classroom software for how live teaching works.
Common questions
Is this attendance sheet free?
Yes. Both the Excel and PDF versions are free to download, edit and share. No sign-up is needed.
Does it work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the Excel file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets. The dropdowns, formulas and colours carry over.
How do I change the 75% limit?
In Excel, select the attendance % column, open Home, then Conditional Formatting, then Manage Rules, and change 0.75 to your limit, for example 0.8 for 80%.
Can I use it for more than 40 students?
Yes. Insert rows inside the student list (not below it) and the totals will include them.
How is attendance recorded for online classes?
On AcadifyLab, attendance is recorded automatically when learners join a live class, on every plan, so you do not need a manual register.
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