Full-time school attendance is compulsory in California for youths between the ages of 6 and 16. Nevertheless, recent statistics indicate that the actual levels of classroom attendance in California were 90.8 percent of enrollment in elementary schools, 87.7 percent in junior high schools, and 81.4 percent in senior high schools. The most frequently cited causes for absenteeism include illness, dislike or boredom with school, social adjustment problems, academic problems, family or personal business, influence of friends, lack of authority for enforcing attendance laws, and absence of parental concern or control. Support programs which have proven to be effective in several California jurisdictions include student service centers, programs for dropouts, community-centered classrooms, and school attendance review teams. Truancy victimizes youth, the schools, and the community, and it can ruin the lives of truant youths. A diagram is included. A summary of an assembly bill and a summary of a truancy case decision are appended.