The latest NAPLAN results highlight educational disparities in Australia.

The results from the 2024 NAPLAN assessments, released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), indicate that national performance in literacy and numeracy has remained broadly stable compared to 2023. 

However, the data reveals significant disparities in educational outcomes among different demographic groups, particularly affecting Indigenous students, those from remote areas, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds.

ACARA CEO Stephen Gniel says the stability in results is a “testament to the hard work and commitment of schools, principals, and teachers”, while also cautioning against over-interpreting changes due to the relatively short timeframe since the introduction of new proficiency standards in 2023. 

Despite the overall stability, the results highlight persistent challenges, particularly in supporting students identified as needing additional help.

According to the 2024 data, nearly one in ten students nationwide fall into the ‘Needs additional support’ category, with this figure rising to approximately one in three among Indigenous students and students from remote or very remote areas. 

The results also show that female students generally outperform male students in literacy, while male students tend to do better in numeracy. 

For example, in Year 9 writing, 69.2 per cent of female students achieved at the ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’ levels, compared to 53.1 per cent of male students.

The disparity is even more pronounced when comparing urban students with their peers from very remote areas. 

In reading, only 24 per cent of students from very remote schools were rated as ‘Strong’ or ‘Exceeding’, compared to 70.7 per cent of students from major city schools.

The results have prompted Education Minister Jason Clare to advocate for significant reforms through the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA). 

Clare says there is a need for targeted support to address the inequalities highlighted by the NAPLAN results.

“Your chances in life should not depend on your parents’ pay packet or the colour of your skin, but these results again show that’s still the case,’ he said.  

While ACARA's report portrays the 2024 results as stable, other education experts have raised concerns about the lack of progress in addressing the needs of struggling students. 

Nick Parkinson, an education specialist at the Grattan Institute, described the results as “sobering” and “frankly disappointing”, pointing to the fact that nearly a third of students are still falling behind.