Spreadsheet Practice

How to count attendance in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P")

Count each student's "P" marks across the day columns: =COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P"), filled down.

Result on the example
one result per row in G2, filled down to G7
Works in
Every current version
Google Sheets
Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in G2, filled down to G7. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

Each row is one student and each column one school day. COUNTIF looks along the row and counts the cells marked "P". Because the range has no $ signs, it moves down a row with each student.

Late (L) and absent (A) are not counted as present here; Ben was present 3 of 5 days.

=COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P")

Result5

  1. B2:F21 row × 5 cols: "P", "P", "P", "P", …

    A range: 5 cells in one row.

  2. COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P")5

    COUNTIF: Counts cells that meet one condition.

    • rangeB2:F21 row × 5 cols: "P", "P", "P", "P", …
    • criteria"P"

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P"). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

FormulaResultWhen to use it
=SUMPRODUCT(--(B2:F2="P"))5, 3, 4…The same count with a comparison. Use it with EXACT if lowercase "p" must not count.
=COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P")+COUNTIF(B2:F2,"L")5, 4, 4…Different resultCounts late arrivals as present. Ben and Eve get one more day each for their late marks.

Common mistakes

  • COUNTIF ignores case, so "p" and "P" both count. Use a drop-down list to keep the codes consistent.
  • Blank cells (days not recorded yet) count as neither present nor absent. Count the days recorded with =COUNTA(B2:F2).

Try it yourself

Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.

Count attendance

In G2, count the days the student was marked present (P), then fill down to G7.

Questions

How do I calculate the attendance percentage?

Divide by the days recorded: =COUNTIF(B2:F2,"P")/COUNTA(B2:F2), formatted as a percentage.

How do I count how many students were present each day?

Count down the column instead: =COUNTIF(B2:B7,"P"), filled across.

Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.