ACARA news, July 2026

NAPLAN student results are available from the start of Term 3


23 July 2026

Parents and carers of students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 who took this year’s NAPLAN assessment in March will receive an individual student report (ISR) of their child’s results from their school from the start of Term 3. The specific timing will be determined by the relevant state or territory test administration authority. 

These reports provide useful information on a student’s results in reading, writing, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

ACARA Chief Executive Officer, Stephen Gniel, highlighted the continuing value of the NAPLAN assessments to schools, parents and carers, and the wider community. 

“The purpose of NAPLAN is clear. It’s the only national assessment we have that lets us see whether young Australians are developing critical literacy and numeracy skills, using a national, objective scale.

“NAPLAN provides valuable information on students’ progress in key literacy and numeracy skills. It also helps government and education authorities know how education approaches are working, identify where changes and support might be needed, and guide system-wide policy decisions,” he said.

NAPLAN individual student results are reported against proficiency standards. The standards are set at a challenging but reasonable expectation of what students know and can do at the time of testing. 

There are 4 levels of proficiency, which provide parents and carers with clear information on their child’s achievement: 

  • Exceeding: the student’s result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.  
  • Strong: the student’s result meets challenging but reasonable expectations at the time of testing.
  • Developing: the student’s result indicates that they are working towards expectations at the time of testing. 
  • Needs additional support: the student’s result indicates that they are not achieving the learning outcomes that are expected at the time of testing. They are likely to need additional support to progress satisfactorily. 

The front page of the ISR provides general information about the tests and an explanation of how to read the report. The student’s results in each of the assessment areas are set out in the middle pages of the report. The final page of the ISR provides a brief summary of the skills typically demonstrated by students at each of the proficiency levels. 

Along with other school assessment reports, parents and carers can use the NAPLAN ISR to discuss their child’s progress with their teacher. 

In 2026, ISRs for students in Years 5, 7 and 9 will include this caveat in relation to the writing results following a technical disruption on day 1:

NAPLAN results should always be interpreted with care. This is important for writing results in 2026 because some students experienced disruptions during the online writing test due to connectivity issues. Your child’s teacher will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress. 

Read our media release (PDF 175 KB).

For more information: 

 

Latest information on Policies and Priorities in education in Australia released


01 July 2026

New information on Policies and Priorities in education has been released by ACARA as part of the National Report on Schooling in Australia 2025. 

The Policies and Priorities section details the activities undertaken by the Australian, state and territory governments and the Catholic and independent school sectors to improve education outcomes in Australia. 

This release highlights the national reforms underpinned by the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement which came into effect, including: 
  • The National Teacher Workforce Action Plan progressed significantly through teacher scholarships, employment-based teaching pathways, workload reduction pilots and national professional learning opportunities, including free educator micro-credentials. 
  • Major early childhood education reforms advanced, including establishment of the $1 billion Building Early Education Fund, implementation of workforce initiatives and reforms to improve access, affordability and quality.  
  • National literacy and numeracy reforms accelerated, including Year 1 Phonics Checks, early years numeracy initiatives and expanded evidence-based teaching resources to support improved student outcomes. 
These national reforms were complemented by activities across states, territories and the non-government sectors, including: 
  • Literacy and numeracy reforms, including phonics screening, numeracy checks and explicit teaching approaches. 
  • Expanded access to early childhood education, supported by workforce measures and targeted programs for children and families. 
  • Teacher workforce reforms focused on attraction, retention, leadership development and professional learning. 
  • Equity and inclusion measures supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learners, students with disability, rural and remote students, and other priority cohorts. 
ACARA progressively releases chapters of the annual National Report on Schooling in Australia as the data becomes available. This allows for more timely commentary on progress against nationally agreed policy initiatives by Australia’s school education sector.