Concerns students are again dropping out of school to support their families. 

It comes as New Zealand faces a cost of living crisis, due to the impacts of Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine. 

In 2020 following the first nationwide lockdown, schools, particularly in low socio-economic areas, reported students leaving their education behind and taking up jobs in order to help out financially at home. 

Secondary Principals Association President Vaughan Couillault said he's concerned about the situation at the moment, and whether it'll make matters worse. 

"Inflation and the cost of goods are making things harder for students and their families". 

"If there was a choice, students would stay in school, but there are those who don't have that luxury". 

He said dropping out of school for financial reasons isn't new, but it has been particularly evident over the last couple of years since Covid emerged. 

Couillault, who is also the Principal of South Auckland's Papatoetoe High School, said school leaders do their best to support students, whatever their decision. 

"We are doing everything we can to either support students to get what they need before leaving, or help them re-intergrate into school if they've done six months of work, and realise they can now come back to education." 

Couillault said at this stage it was too hard to determine how many students have left because of the cost of living crisis and Omicron outbreak. 

But he said he hoped it would be lower because of the support in place for students and staff following the 2020 exodus. 

"We are in a better position now to deal with the situation, but what's happening feels similar to what occurred following the 2020 lockdown." 

And it seems the situation isn't just confined to schools in Auckland. 

Robin Sutton is the Principal of Hornby High School in Christchurch, which is a decile 3H. 

He said there are a small number of students who are working long hours or looking to leave school to support whanau. 

Sutton said while it isn't as significant as it was following the first nationwide lockdown in 2020, it continues to be a real concern for him. 

"This is a fundamental issue of poverty, until we do something about the hideous gap between the rich and the poor, this is always going to happen." 

"There will also always be individual cases of this happening, you walk into almost any school and you'll find these cases unfortunately." 

Sutton said more needed to be done to help keep students in school when they face financial hardship.