Latest data from this year’s NAPLAN assessments reveal that student performance across the country has remained broadly stable in reading, writing and numeracy.
A lower proportion of students in very remote schools are rated as “Strong” or “Exceeding” compared with students in major city schools.
For example, across all year groups, in reading, 22.8% of students from very remote schools are in this category, compared to 71.9% of students from major city schools and in numeracy, 21.9% of students from very remote schools are in this category, compared to 70.6% of students from major city schools.
Despite that, students from regional and remote areas, indigenous students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds continue to remain behind their city counterparts.
Encouragingly, the NAPLAN National Results indicate higher NAPLAN scores on average across Years 5, 7 and 9 in numeracy, particularly among stronger students, as well as a reportable increase, from 2023 to 2025, in the percentage of Indigenous students achieving “Exceeding” in writing and numeracy at both Years 7 and 9.
This year’s NAPLAN data also shows that, at the national level, proportions within proficiency levels were broadly stable between 2023 and 2025, although there were small increases and decreases across domains and year groups.
The NAPLAN National Results released today (30 July 2025) by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) also show that participation rates across all years and domains have rebounded to pre-COVID levels, reaching 93.8% – the highest level since 2017.
To access the full 2025 NAPLAN National Results, including information about the socio-educational profile of each jurisdiction, please visit: www.acara.edu.au/naplanresults
