The average percentage of prep to year 10 students attending school each day in 2009 was 90.1 - down from 91.2 in 2008.

New Education Minister Lin Thorp said swine flu had influenced the attendance figures, which were also down on the average from 2006 to 2008.

"The 2009 student attendance data has been affected by the impact of the swine flu on school communities last year but it is still an area that needs more attention," she said.

The report also showed improvements in the prep literacy results, suggesting the Launching into Learning programs were having an effect.

"Literacy and numeracy assessments in prep last year showed that the program had halved the gap in early literacy and numeracy skills for young people who attended the Launching into Learning program," Ms Thorp said.

She also said the results across the board were heartening, with Tasmanian students and schools showing improvement across a number of areas.

Opposition education spokesman Michael Ferguson said there were a lot of good things happening in Tasmanian education, but some aspects of the report concerned him.

He said the attendance rates needed to be addressed, and he also wanted to see the absentee data for year 11 and 12.

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief economist Richard Dowling said the quality of education in Tasmania was going well, but the participation was a worry.

"The system continues to record unsatisfactorily low levels of student participation and retention," he said.