NSW statewide NAPLAN results released in today's 2026 National Report reveal promising signs of improvement amid the state's explicit teaching push, while there is more for schools in all sectors to do in areas needing targeted support.
NSW continues to exceed the national averages in all year groups and domains, with more than two thirds of results either strong or exceeding for most year groups and domains.
Signs of growth continue to emerge following the Minns Labor Government's sustained and targeted investment in teaching quality, curriculum reforms and tailored student support, driving meaningful improvements in literacy and numeracy across NSW schools.
That work includes investing in early literacy and numeracy checks, targeted intervention, ambitious learning targets and evidence-based support for teachers rolling out the new NSW Curriculum, so more students can build strong foundations and move into higher levels of achievement.
While NSW results are relatively stable overall, there is growth in the proportion of students in Years 5 and 7 exceeding in spelling, grammar punctuation, and numeracy, compared to their previous NAPLAN results. This suggests that phonics, explicit teaching and early intervention are making a difference. Examples of this improvement include:
- Year 5 grammar and punctuation is up 8.9 percentage points in strong and exceeding compared to the same cohort's Year 3 results in 2024.
- Year 5 spelling is up 8.6 percentage points in strong and exceeding compared to the same cohort's Year 3 results in 2024.
- Year 5 numeracy is up 6.8 percentage points in strong and exceeding compared to the same cohort's Year 3 results in 2024.
- Year 7 spelling is up 4.9 percentage points in strong and exceeding compared to the same cohort's Year 5 results in 2024.
These results are consistent with the upward trends reported in 2025 and reflect steady and sustained progress in foundational skills vital for long-term academic success.
The results also reinforce the need to remain focussed on delivering targeted support to students who are still developing proficiency in one or more key learning areas. This includes writing for Years 5, 7 and 9 and grammar and punctuation for Years 7 and 9.
NSW will also take steps to address a concerning national trend of declining writing results, including the delivery of professional learning focussed on strengthening writing across the curriculum for all NSW public schools at the start of next year.
The Minns Labor Government is committed to investing in evidence-based programs and quality teaching to improve learning outcomes, with a comprehensive suite of initiatives reaching tens of thousands of public school students across NSW including:
- The Year 1 Number Screening Check introduced statewide in 2026 to assess 60,000 Year 1 students and identify gaps in their number skills, so targeted support can be provided.
- The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check supporting foundational literacy, complemented by an expanded targeted phonics program for students and schools where it is needed.
- The Small Group Tuition Program, rolled out to every NSW public school, is delivering targeted literacy and numeracy support for students needing targeted support.
- New curriculum resources and professional learning supporting teachers to deliver explicit, knowledge-rich K-12 English and Mathematics syllabuses, with mandatory writing professional development for all NSW public schools in 2027.
The full 2026 NAPLAN National Report is available from ACARA's website.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said:
"This year's results show NSW students are continuing to perform at a high level while demonstrating growth in key literacy and numeracy skills.
"The performance of NSW students reflects the commitment of our teachers, alongside the Minns Labor Government's investment in targeted programs like small group tuition and Year 1 phonics and number screening checks, to ensure every student can reach their potential.
"While this year's results are largely stable, they also show there is more to do, and highlight where schools need to continue to focus their efforts with evidence-based teaching and targeted programs.
"With mandatory professional development in teaching writing next year, and further initiatives in the pipeline, we are laying the groundwork to further lift literacy outcomes.
"The Minns Labor Government is committed to ensuring every student has access to a world-class public education with strong teaching, a high-quality curriculum and the support needed to build essential literacy and numeracy skills."
