Australia’s 2026 NAPLAN results have delivered a clear numeracy improvement for older students, but a weaker Year 3 maths result and continuing reading difficulties show that progress is not reaching every classroom equally.
Average numeracy scores have improved since the current NAPLAN scale began in 2023 by 6.1 points in Year 5, 9.5 points in Year 7 and 6.2 points in Year 9. The Year 7 change is the largest of the three, offering an encouraging sign that many students are building stronger mathematical skills as they move through secondary school.
The national picture is still broadly stable rather than transformed. Around one in ten students continue to need additional support, and Year 3 numeracy moved in the opposite direction to the older cohorts. That early-years setback matters because basic number knowledge supports later work in fractions, measurement, problem-solving and financial literacy.
There was movement at both ends of the proficiency scale. About 29,000 more students were rated Exceeding than in 2023, when the current reporting standards were introduced. At the same time, roughly 1,600 fewer students were assessed as needing additional support. Around two-thirds of students nationally achieved either Strong or Exceeding across reading, writing and numeracy, leaving a substantial minority below those higher benchmarks.
Why the Year 3 maths result matters
NAPLAN moved from May to March in 2023 and introduced a reset measurement scale and four proficiency levels. For that reason, the 2026 scores can be compared directly with results from 2023 onward, but not with the earlier NAPLAN series.
The four levels are Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support. Exceeding means performance went beyond expectations, while Strong indicates that challenging but reasonable expectations were met. Developing shows a student is working towards the standard; the lowest category signals that targeted help is likely to be required.
A Developing result should start a conversation rather than cause alarm. NAPLAN captures performance on one set of tests and cannot measure every part of a child’s ability or wellbeing. Parents can ask whether the result matches classwork, which skills need attention and whether tutoring or an individual learning plan is appropriate. Reading together and using maths while cooking, shopping or measuring can reinforce classroom teaching.
The federal government has linked the Year 3 outcome to its planned Year 1 numeracy check, intended to identify children who are falling behind before difficulties become entrenched. Public schools in New South Wales and South Australia are introducing the checks in 2026, while most other jurisdictions are piloting them. Work is also underway on changes to the mathematics curriculum for the first three years of school.
For parents comparing results, raw scores are only part of the picture. Student growth and comparisons with schools serving similar communities can reveal more than a simple league table, particularly because academic results are only one measure when comparing schools.
Individual 2026 reports are distributed through schools, but school-level results are not expected on My School until later in the year. Families researching a campus should speak with staff and consider student support, wellbeing and specialist programs. NAPLAN averages do not show everything a school provides.
Reading challenges and where gains are emerging
Reading results underline the uneven nature of the 2026 report card. Average reading scores across Years 5, 7 and 9 were lower than in 2025, while the number of students needing extra help in reading and writing has edged higher since 2023. The government argues that schools using systematic phonics, explicit teaching and small-group tutoring are showing what targeted intervention can achieve.
At Highvale Primary School in Victoria, the share of Year 3 students rated Exceeding in reading has increased by 25.1 percentage points since 2023, while Year 5 improved by 11.3 points. Burwood Heights Primary School recorded increases of 6.8 points in Year 3 and 10.7 points in Year 5. At Croydon Park Public School in New South Wales, the Year 3 figure improved by 11.2 points.
These school examples are promising, but they should not be treated as proof that one program alone caused every improvement. Student backgrounds, attendance, staffing stability and local support can all influence results. The useful lesson is that early identification followed by structured, intensive teaching gives schools a practical path to test and refine.
First Nations numeracy also improved in several cohorts. Since 2023, average scores increased by 9.6 points in Year 5 and 9.4 points in Year 7. Year 7 First Nations students in very remote communities recorded a 17-point improvement, while spelling outcomes reached their highest levels of the new reporting period.
Those improvements sit beside persistent attainment gaps for First Nations students, children from disadvantaged backgrounds and students in regional and remote communities. National averages therefore need to be read alongside the circumstances in which children are learning.
National writing scores were broadly steady compared with 2025, but the figures carry an important qualification. A technical problem on the first testing day disrupted the writing assessment for Years 5, 7 and 9 students on the east coast. Because the interruption did not affect students evenly, ACARA has attached a caveat to the results.
The additional $20 billion in federal public-school funding over the next decade is tied to reforms including Year 1 phonics and numeracy checks, evidence-based teaching and small-group tutoring. Education ministers have also agreed in principle to establish a Teaching and Learning Commission intended to help teachers apply effective classroom practice. The full figures and policy measures are set out in the official 2026 NAPLAN results release.
For families, the immediate response should be measured: discuss unexpected results with the child’s teacher, identify the specific skills involved and ask what support or extension is available. NAPLAN is a valuable national checkpoint, but it remains one assessment taken at one point in a student’s broader education.
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