Overview
- The 2026 NAPLAN results released on Tuesday show roughly 30–35% of the more than 1.2 million students tested were below national literacy or numeracy benchmarks.
- Scores diverged by year: small numeracy gains for Years 5, 7 and 9 contrasted with a clearly concerning drop in Year 3 numeracy, while reading and writing fell across year levels.
- Large gaps persist between places and groups, with Victoria outperforming other states, students in major cities far ahead of those in very remote areas, and girls stronger in writing while boys generally score higher in numeracy.
- Testing participation was slightly lower in 2026 after teacher industrial action, Northern Territory floods and an online platform crash that forced some students to retake exams, and ACARA flagged caveats for affected results.
- In response, the federal government has made screening a funding condition and states are rolling out checks—Victoria will require Year 1 numeracy screening next year—and ACARA is reviewing the Foundation–Year 2 maths curriculum to target early gaps.