New statistics show student attendance has fallen significantly in almost every public school in WA's north.

The state's education department figures reveal schools in the Kimberley region recorded a median attendance rate of 62.9 per cent in 2022, 23.7 per cent lower than the Western Australian average.

Community leaders in the region have urged a change in strategy to address truancy, which has been identified by authorities as a key factor in youth crime in the Kimberley.

21 out of the 22 Kimberley public schools recorded lower attendance rates in 2022 than in 2020, the ABC reported Friday.

Fitzroy Crossing High School and Halls Creek District High School recorded around 25 per cent attendance in 2022, down from just under 40 per cent in 2020.

Sadly, secondary school attendance at Jungdranung Remote Community School, a community school near Kununurra, dropped from 100 per cent to just 27.1 per cent from 2020 to 2022.

Looma Remote Community School was the lone school to see a rise in attendance, from 55.4 per cent in 2020 to 61.1 per cent in 2022.

In a statement, Kimberley Director of Education Paul Bridge said the department acknowledges "the ongoing challenges and work required in the Kimberley to improve student engagement and attendance".

"Schools continue to seek the support and guidance of our communities, through community-led approaches, in addressing attendance rates going forward," he said.

"COVID-19 infections peaked in WA in 2022, contributing to lower-than-normal attendance rates, while adding some complexity to the challenge of getting students to attend school. We also saw many parents and communities taking the advice of the health experts and keeping their children home if they showed any cold or flu-like symptoms.

"Additionally, many Indigenous families in the Kimberley region opted to return to Country during COVID peak times."

Mr Bridge noted that since then, the Kimberley region has also experienced severe weather resulting in record floods and the displacement of families in the affected areas, which may further affect attendance rates.

"However, the Department has activated a long-term strategy across the Kimberley designed to engage school, families, communities and service providers in making changes on the ground," he said.

"This includes implementing learning opportunities outside the traditional classroom settings and working to identify attendance barriers and bolster opportunities for engagement.

"Additionally, the Department of Education continues to provide support and assistance to communities affected by the severe weather. We continue to work with other agencies to ensure all students have access to education despite the challenges."

In late January WA Aboriginal Affairs Minister Tony Buti told National Indigenous Times that school attendance would be an important challenge in the Kimberley in the wake of the massive flooding in the region.

Winun Ngari Aboriginal Corporation remote school attendance strategy project officer Rohoni McCumstie told the ABC that trouble at home could keep children away from school.

"It's making kids stay up at night and they're fatigued... We try to help parents too, referring them onto counselling," she said.

"Kids really disengage from school and it's really not good for them, mentally, not to interact with other kids."

Ms McCumstie has been working with students at Derby District High School, where secondary attendance rates were below 50 per cent in 2022.

East Kimberley has also struggled. Secondary attendance at Wyndham District High School, for example, fell to 47.7 per cent in 2022 and primary attendance at the school has decreased by 10 per cent over the past two years.

Wyndham Youth Aboriginal Corporation chief executive Neville D'Silva told the ABC schools need to take a better approach to engage students.

"Everybody learns differently. Some of these teachers are doing a good job. Sometimes, there's no passion from the teacher and kids don't feel that passion for learning," he said.

Mr D'Silva says intergenerational trauma made it difficult for children to focus on their education.

"They've got other issues than coming to school... School is the last thing on their minds," he said.

Local Aboriginal organisations in the Fitzroy Valley and elsewhere in the Kimberley have been working to address social issues in the region and encourage children on to a positive pathway.