At my uber-competitive school, high-achieving students will typically skip to study for a test they were not prepared for, or to take a mental health day. During AP weeks, it is common for almost all students taking APs to skip a couple days here and there to study for the tests. Personally, I take off from school once every 2 months just to rest my brain and refresh, usually on a Friday when we have Monday off, or a Thursday when we have Friday off. I’m a high achieving student myself, and have held straight A’s through high school, so I don’t let it affect my grades. Many students prefer not to skip because the amount of work you have to make up takes about 5 days for every day missed, so it’s usually a lot to make up.