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Supporting every learner: NAPLAN results, vulnerable student groups, and career readiness

April 2025 | Compass Review

Interpreting NAPLAN results

With NAPLAN testing now complete schools will have received their preliminary Student and School Summary Report (SSSR) with the final SSSR due to be sent by the end of term.

As you will be aware, NAPLAN testing is an organisational feat for whole school communities and you may be interested to know that this year over 4.5 million online tests were taken by more than 1.3 million students in over 9,400 campuses across Australia.1

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) recommends NAPLAN results be used in the following ways2:

  • Students and parents/carers may use individual results to discuss students’ strengths and areas for improvement with teachers.
  • Teachers use results to help them identify students who require greater challenges or extra support.
  • Schools use results to identify strengths and areas of need in teaching programs and to set goals in literacy and numeracy.
  • Governments and school systems use results to review programs and support offered to schools.

Individual student reports will be sent to schools from the start of term 3 and the national NAPLAN results will be released from August 2025. 

For more information:

The gender gap 

A report published earlier this month highlighted that boys are over-represented among the most academically vulnerable students, linking this trend to driving adverse outcomes for young men in higher educational attainment and employment participation.

The report, titled ‘Echoes of Disparity, Boys’ education in Australia’, published by Catholic Schools NSW, highlights gender gaps in academic outcomes in Australian schools.3 It shows that boys are struggling with literacy and are over-represented among the lowest performing students. 

Historically NAPLAN testing results have shown females outperforming males in literacy and males outperforming females in numeracy and last year was no exception. 2024 results showed that female students outperformed male students in writing, achieving average NAPLAN scores above boys in every year group, with higher percentages of female students at ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’ levels.4 

“NAPLAN data reveals boys are twice as likely as girls to score in the lowest performance bands in the literacy domains. Even in numeracy, where boys traditionally outperform girls on average, the lowest performers are equally likely to be boys,” states the report. The report calls for action at government policy level to address the educational underperformance of boys.

Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA)

On 24 March, Queensland became the final signatory, of all states and territories, endorsing the BFSA.5

The aim of the BFSA is to ensure equitable funding across all schools, with all schools to be in receipt of 100% of the funding recommended by the schooling resource standard (as recommended by the Gonski review in 2011) by 2034.6

“The [Gonski] Review recommended a national needs‑based and sector-blind school funding model [that] would provide a level of base funding to all schools and additional targeted funding to disadvantaged students in order to remove inequities and minimise the identified performance gap.”
– Report on the Inquiry into School Funding, Parliament of Australia7

School to work transition

A report published last month, co-authored by Year13 and HEDx highlights the challenges faced by students in Australia during the post-school transition. The report, titled Upgrading the School to Work Transition for Social and Economic Impact, found that 70% of year 12 students are experiencing high levels of anxiety, depression and fear due to confusion and uncertainty about their future career paths.8

Over 3000 students aged between 15 and 24 participated in the survey, which found that only 27% felt their school helped them feel prepared for their post-school future. 

The report states that these results highlight systematic career counselling gaps for Australian students and a need for the system itself to be more connected and supportive, with students at the centre. 

The report highlights 5 key recommendations to drive meaningful change by ensuring students are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed for meaningful work as well as address the skills needs of various business sectors.

The reports 5 key recommendations are: 

  1. Legislate career education in the Australian Curriculum. 
  2. Prioritise skills over scores by implementing a secondary school success measure beyond the ATAR.
  3. Utilise technology to re-balance the student to teacher ratios.
  4. Facilitate industry-education collaboration to equip young Australians with future-ready skills. 
  5. Empowering students through data ownership for a seamless school-to-work journey. 

Read the report: Upgrading the School to Work Transition for Social and Economic Impact

National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) – now open for 2025

The 2025 NEiTA awards are now open.9

With the Australian Education Awards10 and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Science11 already closed for nominations, don’t miss the opportunity to nominate exceptional, hardworking and inspirational educators. Award winners can receive up to $10,000 professional development grants. Nominations close on 27th June.

Award categories include:

  • Apple Awards – primary and secondary teachers who exceed expectations.
  • Leadership Awards – Honours outstanding leadership by principal and heads of school.
  • Powering Potential Awards – for teachers aiding disadvantaged students.
  • The Terry O’Connell Regional and Remote Teachers’ Award – for teachers in remote and regional areas of Australia.

Janet Stone is the former editor of Education Matters and WhichSchool? Magazines. She has written education content for national publications, including The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, The Australian Financial Review, and The Guardian, as well as several Australian universities and organisations.

Resources

  1. ACARA LinkedIn post
  2. NAPLAN – results, reports, performance
  3. ‘Echoes of Disparity’: Issues Brief on Boys’ Education in Australia
  4. ACARA MEDIA RELEASE: Latest data shows 2024 NAPLAN national results broadly stable
  5. The Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (2025-2034)
  6. Schooling Resource Standard
  7. Report on the Inquiry into School Funding, Chapter 3: Commonwealth Funding for Schools
  8. Upgrading the School to Work Transition for Social and Economic Impact
  9. NEiTA Awards
  10. Australian Education Awards 2025
  11. Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science​

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