Brisbane independent schools post surprise gains in latest NAPLAN tests

Brisbane’s 2025 NAPLAN results reveal big shifts as one gender out-performs, and some schools exceed expectations. SEE THE RESULTS

Impressive gains: Canterbury College at Waterford surged from zero to 6.3 standard deviations above prediction. Picture: Canterbury College

Queensland’s 2025 NAPLAN results have shaken up Brisbane’s academic landscape, with several of the city’s most prestigious elite schools slipping sharply, and upstaged by their outer-metropolitan independent rivals.

A whole-school analysis of total net standard deviations above prediction across five subject areas and two NAPLAN sittings, tracked the same student cohorts between 2023 to 2025.

The results showed surprising declines in elite GPS and QGSSSA schools with the Associated School Network performing better

The analysis quantifies how each school outperformed national socio-educational benchmarks and provides a clearer picture of progress than raw-score comparisons.

Academic mean scores are influenced and distorted by fees, and academically selective enrolment and scholarships.

Brisbane’s single-sex girls’ schools remained strong, although they dipped slightly from 3.3 standard deviations above expectation in 2023 to 1.9 in 2025.

TAS coeducational schools were steadier, falling just 0.8 standard deviations to sit 1.5 above expected performance.

How the data was analysed.

The boys’ GPS schools experienced the sharpest decline, starting 2.7 standard deviations above expectation in 2023 but losing 2.5 over two years to sit just 0.2 above predicted levels, one of the largest falls compared to schools of a similar socio-economic status.

Several smaller or lesser-known independents recorded impressive gains.

Explore the data: NAPLAN results for every primary and secondary school in Australia revealed

Canterbury College at Waterford surged from zero to 6.3 standard deviations above prediction, St John’s Anglican College at Forest Lake rose from minus two to zero, St Columban’s College at Caboolture lifted from minus three to minus one, Brisbane Christian College at Salisbury and Coopers Plains climbed 14 standard deviations to reach 13 above expected performance, and Groves Christian College at Kingston turned a minus 18 in 2023 into a remarkable plus 16 in 2025.

The shifts show schools adding genuine educational value relative to socio-economic context.

Some of Brisbane’s most recognised institutions also saw declines.

Ormiston College in Redland dropped six standard deviations but remained 13 above expectation, St Peter’s Lutheran College at Indooroopilly fell 7.3 to 4.7, John Paul College at Daisy Hill slipped 5 to 6.0, Brisbane Grammar in Brisbane City lost four to 15, Clayfield College fell five, Brisbane Boys’ College at Toowong dropped 4.2, and Gregory Terrace declined two.

Anglican Church Grammar School at East Brisbane maintained its elite position. Picture: Churchie

Only Churchie (Anglican Church Grammar School) at East Brisbane maintained its elite position, losing just one to sit 14 above predicted performance.

At the lower end, Nudgee College fell to minus 17 and West Moreton Anglican College remained at minus 11.

The data, based on whole-school averages and aggregated across 15 tests per school over two NAPLAN cycles, avoids simplistic rankings and focuses on change relative to predicted performance.

ACARA said using the analysis reflected teaching impact far more than analysing raw scores, which are typically higher in selective or higher-fee schools.

The growth analysis also showed some elite boys’ colleges were losing ground, while several coeducational and outer-suburban schools continued to exceed expectations,

For families weighing school choices, the results suggested that reputation alone was no guarantee of future performance and that a school’s ability to help students grow relative to predicted outcomes may offer a clearer indicator of teaching quality.