- Hon Erica Stanford
New Zealand's latest OECD PISA results show a significant narrowing of the socio-economic achievement gap, driven by strong gains among students from the most disadvantaged backgrounds, Education Minister Erica Stanford says.
"This is a really significant result. For years, a child's socio-economic background has been far too strong a predictor of how well they will do at school.
"For the first time in years, that gap is closing, and it is closing because students at the bottom are doing better."
Between 2022 and 2025, students in the lowest socio-economic quartile made gains equivalent to around a full year of learning in science, three terms in maths and six months in reading.
"In science and maths, achievement among the most advantaged students was essentially unchanged. This is not a story of the top coming down. It is a story of the bottom coming up.
"Importantly, the Ministry has tested these results against the known participation issues with the PISA sample, and the narrowing of the equity gap remains statistically significant.
"We still have a long way to go, and our overall results remain well below where New Zealand was 15 years ago. But after years of decline, this is an encouraging change in direction."
Ms Stanford says improved attendance is likely to be part of the picture.
"You cannot learn if you are not at school. Regular attendance in Term 2 has risen from 39.6 per cent in 2022 to 64.3 per cent in 2026.
"I want to acknowledge teachers, school leaders and everyone across the education sector who have worked incredibly hard to improve outcomes for our kids."
The Government's reforms are focused on accelerating that progress, including structured literacy and maths, an hour a day of reading, writing and maths, a clear knowledge-rich curriculum, better resources and earlier intervention for students who fall behind.
"My focus is on closing the equity gap. A child's means should never determine their destiny.
"Where you live, what school you attend or what your parents earn should not determine how far you can go. Every child deserves access to an excellent education, and that is what we are determined to deliver."
