Los adolescentes españoles se enfrentan actualmente a serios problemas. En el ámbito de la formación sobresalen el fracaso y el abandono escolar temprano, los cuales centran gran parte de los debates de la política educativa y las investigaciones académicas, dada su destacada incidencia en las trayectorias futuras del alumnado. Directamente relacionado con ambos se encuentra el absentismo escolar, el cual concita menos atención y en el que se centra nuestra investigación. Esta se basa en fuentes escasamente analizadas: los Expedientes de Diligencias de Investigación Penal abiertos por la Fiscalía de Valencia durante 2016 por reiterado absentismo escolar, 89 expedientes que implican a 126 menores, de los cuales dos terceras partes son estudiantes de entre 12 y 16 años, con itinerarios muy marcados de absentismo crónico. La información de esos expedientes ha sido estudiada mediante la búsqueda y el análisis documental, para establecer las principales características de estos jóvenes. Entre las conclusiones, destacamos la relevancia del absentismo en las actuaciones del sistema judicial de protección del Adolescentes en situación de reiterado absentismo escolar. Spanish adolescents are currently facing serious challenges. In the area of education, academic failure and early dropouts stand out. Both are at the core of a large proportion of the debates regarding education policy and academic research, as they have a prominent impact in the pupils' future paths. School absenteeism - which our research focuses on - is directly linked to them, although it does not receive as much attention. Our research is based on sources which have been scarcely analyzed: the Files of Criminal Investigation Proceedings opened by the Prosecution Service of Valencia during 2016 due to recurring school absenteeism; 89 files involving 126 minors, of which two thirds are students aged 12 to 16 with itineraries highly marked by chronic absenteeism. The information from these files has been studied through documentary search and analysis in order to establish the main characteristics of these minors. Amongst the conclusions, we underscore the importance of school absenteeism in the proceedings of the judicial system regarding child protection, as almost 65% of all the criminal files were opened for this reason. On the other hand, it is evident that the judicial action of this issue can only lead to a criminal punishment for the parents, having a low positive incidence for the minor. Therefore, it is necessary to implement more and better early social and educational interventions with minors who are not complying with compulsory education, and to avoid, where possible, the resort to courts of justice.