A truant is a student who stays away from school without permission or an explanation. Truancy laws are designed to encourage school attendance by creating simple court procedures through which children are held accountable for excessive school absences. The courts focus on the best interest of the child when addressing the truant conduct of a child.

Truant conduct is usually prosecuted or addressed as a civil (noncriminal) matter, and the definition and procedures for dealing with truancy are usually located in a state's statutes—often in the family code or education code.

In Arizona, truancy laws are established to ensure that children attend school regularly. According to Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) §15-802, every child between the ages of 6 and 16 must attend a school while in session. Truancy, or 'habitual truancy,' is defined under ARS §15-803 as having five or more unexcused absences from school. The law requires schools to enforce attendance requirements, and when a student is truant, the school must report this to the county attorney. The procedures for addressing truancy typically involve interventions to understand and resolve the reasons behind a student's absences, with the aim of returning the student to regular attendance. If these interventions fail, the matter may be referred to the juvenile court system. The courts prioritize the child's best interest and may use various measures, such as counseling or community service, to address the issue. Parents or guardians may also be held responsible for their child's truancy and face penalties such as fines. The focus of Arizona's truancy laws is to provide a framework that encourages school attendance while considering the individual circumstances of the child.