Rising air pollution is a growing problem in South Africa. This study aims to nd out how pollution aects school attendance in South Africa. By matching survey and satellite pollution data and using an instrumental variable approach over the period 2015-2016, this paper nds evidence that the risk of absenteeism is larger for pupils exposed to ne particulate matter (PM2.5) and especially for those aged between 5 and 15 years old. This nding is consistent across provinces but varies with age of individuals and household's characteristics such as wealth level, household size and structure, and household head subgroup. The study highlights the causal relationship between air pollution and school absenteeism at least in South Africa which has up to here remain mixed in the literature