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 New Hampshire, truancy is addressed under the state's compulsory attendance laws, which are found in the New Hampshire Revised Statutes Annotated (RSA) under Title XV, Education. Specifically, RSA 193:1 requires that every child between the ages of 6 and 18 attend school, with certain exceptions. When a student is habitually truant, RSA 193:7 outlines the procedures and responsibilities of school officials to address the issue. The law mandates that schools must notify parents of unexcused absences and develop intervention strategies. If truancy persists, the matter may be referred to a truancy officer or the school district's superintendent, who can then file a petition with the court. The court proceedings focus on the best interest of the child and may result in orders for counseling, community service, or other interventions aimed at improving attendance. The process is civil in nature, and the goal is to provide support and resources to encourage school attendance rather than to punish the student.