Anxiety can make school feel overwhelming for kids — and it’s not always easy to recognise. It often hides behind symptoms that look like other issues: tummy troubles, disruptive behaviour, difficulty focusing, or even what might seem like a learning disorder. Different types of anxiety can show up at school, from worrying about being separated from parents, to fear of speaking in class, to feeling pressure to do everything perfectly.
Sometimes a student’s restlessness or inability to focus looks like ADHD, when it may be anxiety clouding their ability to concentrate. Some children refuse to go to school after holidays or long weekends — another common sign of anxiety. Others might throw tantrums, ask repetitive questions for reassurance, or show a strong need for routine and control.
You might also notice students who want to engage but freeze when called upon. Perfectionism can hold others back: they may obsess over their work so much that they avoid turning it in altogether. In some cases, teachers might assume these students are disengaged or struggling with a learning difference, when in reality, it’s anxiety keeping them stuck. Kids who truly do have learning difficulties often experience heightened anxiety before a diagnosis, especially if they’re falling behind.
Anxiety can also show itself through physical symptoms. Kids with anxiety might regularly visit sick bay with headaches, nausea, stomach pains, or racing heartbeats — signs that their worries are showing up in their bodies.
Some common types of anxiety in school-aged kids:
Separation Anxiety:
Worries about being away from caregivers, causing difficulty with school drop-offs and throughout the day.
Social Anxiety:
Extreme self-consciousness that makes class participation and peer relationships challenging.
Selective Mutism:
Trouble speaking in certain settings, even when they can talk comfortably elsewhere.
Generalised Anxiety:
Constant worries about a wide range of everyday concerns, often including school performance and perfectionism.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD):
Repetitive behaviours or rituals used to manage overwhelming thoughts and worries.
Specific Phobias:
Intense fears of specific things like animals, storms, or other triggers.
Signs Anxiety Might Be at Play
Difficulty Paying Attention: Restlessness and trouble concentrating often look like ADHD, but anxiety can pull a student’s attention inward, toward their fears. A student might appear focused one minute and disconnected the next, depending on what’s triggering their anxiety.
School Refusal and Clinginess: It’s common for anxious kids to avoid school altogether, especially after breaks. Some may become clingy, struggling to separate from parents at drop-off, and needing constant reassurance.
Acting Out: Behavioural problems like disrupting the class, throwing tantrums when routines change, or acting aggressively might actually be signs a child feels overwhelmed and out of control. Anxiety can trigger the body’s "fight" response just as easily as "flight."
Difficulty Speaking Up: A student might complete homework perfectly but freeze when asked to speak aloud. Anxious children often avoid eye contact, look down, or try to blend into the background when they fear being called upon. Even if they know the answer, anxiety can block their ability to respond in the moment.
Frequent Illness: Repeated headaches, stomach aches, nausea, or racing heartbeats without a medical explanation can be red flags for anxiety.
Struggles in Specific Subjects: When a child doubts their ability in a particular area, anxiety can make it even harder for them to learn and perform. Anxiety may also accompany undiagnosed learning disorders, compounding academic difficulties.
Perfectionism and Homework Avoidance: Anxiety and perfectionism often go hand-in-hand. A child may spend so much time worrying over mistakes or starting over that homework is never finished — or never handed in — even if they worked hard on it.
Avoiding Social Interaction: Group activities, PDHPE class, or even lunchtime can be terrifying for a child with social anxiety. Avoidance may look like disinterest, but it’s often fear of embarrassment or judgment holding them back. Some anxious kids perform much better when engaged one-on-one by a trusted adult.
What Steps can School Staff take to Identify and Manage Anxiety In the Classroom?
School staff can equip students with some simple strategies to help them identify anxiety when it presents in their bodies, and manage that anxiety in the moment. This includes:
teaching emotional awareness by helping children to recognise and label emotions when they come up,
normalising anxiety as a natural part of life in your classroom, and
building coping and arousal reduction such as deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, or problem-solving strategies they can use when they start to feel anxious.
All types of anxiety tend to have one thing in common: they interfere with thinking and learning. Anxiety tends to "lock up the brain", making it harder for students to access what they know making classroom management more challenging for school staff.
Parentshop, in partnership with New South Wales Primary Principals' Association (NSWPPA) has developed The Anxiety Project to address high levels of anxiety among children in Australian Schools.
To learn more about a whole-school approach to identifying and managing anxiety, building resilience and partnering with parents to better classroom and learning outcomes, join us for a FREE information session on The Anxiety Project, on 21 May.
CLICK HERE to register to attend the FREE online information session on The Anxiety Project, on Wednesday, 21 May, from 9.30am - 11.00am.