An estimated 63,000 pupils truanted every day, equating to 1% of all school sessions missed without a valid reason.
This is also a rise of a quarter, or 0.21 of a percentage point, on comparable figures from last year which were 0.79%.
The government has written to local authorities urging them to keep up the pressure on persistent absenteeism.
Between 2004 and 2007 over 30,000 penalty notices were issued to parents because of their child's high level of unauthorised absence.
And more than 19,000 parenting contracts were agreed to improve attendance, ministers said.
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