Australia’s 2026 NAPLAN results show improving numeracy performance among older students, but ongoing challenges in reading have prompted the Federal Government to accelerate reforms focused on phonics, early learning checks and targeted tutoring.
Education Minister Jason Clare said overall results were broadly stable, but around one in 10 students still required additional support.
Numeracy results showed continued improvement in Years 5, 7 and 9, with average scores increasing since NAPLAN moved from May to March in 2023.
Year 5 students recorded a 6.1-point increase in average numeracy scores, while Year 7 students improved by 9.5 points and Year 9 students by 6.2 points.
However, results for Year 3 numeracy declined, prompting the government to highlight the importance of introducing early intervention measures, including Year 1 numeracy checks and changes to the early years mathematics curriculum.
Public schools in New South Wales and South Australia are rolling out numeracy checks this year, while other states and territories are piloting the initiative.
Reading outcomes remain a key concern, with the government pointing to schools using evidence-based teaching methods as examples of improvement. Minister Clare said:
“The reading wars are over. We know what works.”
The government highlighted schools that have introduced phonics instruction and small-group tutoring, including Highvale Primary School in Victoria, where the proportion of Year 3 students achieving an “Exceeding” result in reading increased by 25.1 percentage points since 2023. Year 5 reading results at the school also improved by 11.3 percentage points.
Burwood Heights Primary School in Victoria recorded increases of 6.8 percentage points in Year 3 reading and 10.7 percentage points in Year 5, while Croydon Park Public School in New South Wales saw an 11.2 percentage point rise in Year 3 students exceeding expectations in reading.
The Federal Government said it would continue expanding these approaches nationwide through agreements with states and territories, backed by an additional $20 billion investment in public schools over the next decade.
The funding will be linked to reforms including Year 1 phonics and numeracy checks, evidence-based teaching practices and expanded small-group tutoring for students needing extra support.
The government also highlighted improvements among First Nations students, with average numeracy scores increasing by 9.6 points for Year 5 students and 9.4 points for Year 7 students since 2023.
Year 7 First Nations students in very remote communities recorded a 17-point improvement, while spelling results reached their highest levels since 2023.
Minister Clare said the results showed both progress and the need for continued reform. “There is good news here in numeracy. It’s going up and up in Years 5 and in high school,” Mr Clare said.
“Year 3 maths is a different story. That’s why we are fixing the maths curriculum for the first three years of school.”
He said improvements in schools using explicit teaching methods and targeted support demonstrated that reforms could deliver better outcomes for students. “These results show us how to fix the challenges we face,” he said.
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