Underdog schools defy the odds with outstanding above-average NAPLAN results

From remote outback towns to urban centres, underdog schools are smashing academic expectations with NAPLAN results that rival private institutions. See where your school ranks.

St Albans Meadows Primary performed above the state average in Year 5 writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy. Picture: Tony Gough

Underdog state and religious schools are rewriting the narrative on educational disadvantage after achieving impressive NAPLAN results.

Analysis of NAPLAN data across the country has revealed which schools with student populations from more disadvantaged backgrounds are posting above average scores.

They include public and low-fee private campuses from Cobdogla in South Australia’s riverland to Mendooran in central western New South Wales and Katherine in the Northern Territory.

The Herald Sun analysed the NAPLAN results of Victorian students in Year 5 and 9 at schools which are ranked in the bottom 50 per cent, based on an index of disadvantage.

The index takes into account how remote a campus is, the proportion of indigenous students and the education level of students’ parents.

The analysis includes schools in the bottom 50th percentile for advantage which then posted scores above the state average for each year level and subject.

At the Year 5 level, one overachieving school was Glenroy Central Primary, which has a school disadvantage level of 36.

The primary school was in the top 10 highest achieving disadvantaged primary schools across all five subject categories last year, with its top average score being 557 in Grammar – 52.9 points more than the state average.

Meanwhile Katamatite Primary achieved results that put it in the top 10 four times across subjects including reading, spelling, grammar and numeracy.

It’s best average score was 538 in numeracy, which was the highest average obtained by a low socio-economic primary school in that subject.

Other primary schools in low socio-economic areas that obtained scores beyond the state average on more than one occasion and were within the top 10 highest achieving disadvantaged primary schools were Osborne’s Flat Primary, Hepburn Primary, Arthurs Creek Primary, Lakes Entrance Primary and Eildon Primary school.

Another school which performed above the state average in Year 5 writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy was St Albans Meadows Primary, which has a school disadvantage level of 39.

Principal Chris Cameron was incredibly proud of the school’s results and said they showed “resilience, curiosity and a commitment to improvement”.

“It is incredibly rewarding to see our students achieving above average in these areas. This reinforces that our approach – explicit teaching, evidence-based programs, integrated curriculum, and strong student-teacher relationships – is making a real difference,” he said.

“But beyond the scores, what we feel most proud of is the thriving culture of learning at St Albans Meadows. Our students are confident, motivated, and connected to their learning, and our staff – teachers, ES, and admin – have worked tirelessly to make this possible.

“These results belong to the whole community.”

Underdog state and religious schools are rewriting the narrative on educational disadvantage. Picture: Tony Gough

The number of disadvantaged schools achieving outstanding results was even greater at the Year 9 level, with four schools appearing in the top 10 highest achieving disadvantaged high schools in at least four subject areas.

This included OneSchool Global Vic – a leading international Christian School – which was in the top 10 highest achieving disadvantaged secondary schools across all five subject categories last year.

It was the top disadvantaged secondary school in both Year 9 reading and numeracy, while it’s best score was 628 in reading.

Other high schools in low socio-economic areas that performed well were Mallacoota P-12 College, Charlton College, Sirius College, Wycheproof P-12 College and Pyramid Hill College.

The analysis is based on 2024 NAPLAN results for individual schools and socio-education disadvantage data published by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.

The Index of Community Socio-educational Advantage (ICSEA) is a scale of “socio-educational advantage” calculated for each school.

It is based on how remote the campus is, the proportion of indigenous students attending, the education level achieved by parents and parents’ occupations.

It does not take into account the income or wealth of parents, or the resources of the school.

ICSEA values typically range from about 500 (schools with extremely disadvantaged student backgrounds) to about 1300 (extremely advantaged).

Schools are also given an ICSEA percentile, as a simple way to understand where they sit compared to all other Australian schools.

A smaller percentile signals greater disadvantage.

For example, a school with an ICSEA percentile of 30 is more disadvantaged than 70 per cent of all other schools in the country.

Originally published as Underdog schools defy the odds with outstanding above-average NAPLAN results