44 girls and 69 boys went on an excursion. On the day of the outing, 2 girls and 3 boys were absent. The remaining students were divided into as many groups as possible with the same number of boys and girls. What was the largest number of groups that could be formed.
The total number of students present on the day of the excursion is 44 + 69 = <<44+69=113>>113.
The number of girls present on the day of the excursion is 44 - 2 = <<44-2=42>>42.
The number of boys present on the day of the excursion is 69 - 3 = <<69-3=66>>66.
The largest number of groups with an equal number of boys and girls that can be formed is the greatest common divisor (GCD) of 42 and 66.
The prime factorization of 42 is 2 * 3 * 7.
The prime factorization of 66 is 2 * 3 * 11.
The GCD is 2 * 3 = <<2*3=6>>6.
Therefore, the largest number of groups that can be formed is 6. Answer: \boxed{6}.