How to calculate percent of students absent in Excel

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To calculate percent of students attending a class, given a total class size and the number of students attending, you can use a simple formula that divides students absent (calculated by subtracting attending from total) by the total. The result must be formatted using the percentage number format.

Formula

=(total-attended)/total


Note: when working manually, percentage results are calculated by dividing one number by another (for example, a part by a whole) to get a decimal value, then multiplying by 100 to express as a percentage. However, because Excel can display decimal or fractional values automatically as a percentage by applying the Percentage number format, there is no need to multiply by 100.

Worked Example:   Find Percentage Change Between Numbers

Explanation

In the example shown, we have a total class size in column C, total attended in column D, the calculated percent attending in Column E, and the calculated percent absent in column F.

Worked Example:   Cell References: Relative, Absolute and Mixed Referencing Examples

In cell F6, the formula is:

=(C6-D6)/C6

How this formula works

The formula in F5 first calculates the number of students absent using (C6-D6), then divides the result by the total students. So the formula reduces like this:

=(C6-D6)/C6
=(100-92)/100
=8/100
=.08

When formatted using the Percentage number format .08 = 8%.

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