Tasmanian students continue to lag behind mainland counterparts, NAPLAN results show

Tasmania’s latest NAPLAN results reveal 15 per cent of students need extra reading support, as the state records the second-lowest literacy rates in Australia. SEE THE RESULTS

The latest NAPLAN results paint a "worrying picture" for Tasmanian students, says Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director at the Grattan Institute.

The latest NAPLAN results released today show Tasmanian students continue to lag behind their mainland counterparts, particularly on literacy standards with almost 15 per cent of Tasmanian students needing additional support with their reading.

NAPLAN measures results from all Tasmanian schools including government, independent and Catholic institutions.

The Tasmanian Department of Education, Children and Young People is responsible for public schools and said its future priorities acknowledge the results, with the department undertaking reformist action in its pursuit of “continuous improvement”.

“Tasmania is responding to the literacy need highlighted by this data with the most comprehensive approach of any state in Australia,” the spokesperson said, adding that the department was delivering on its plan to lift literacy standards.

“Schools are being supported to make transformational changes to the way children are taught to read through professional learning sessions, resources and collaboration with educational experts and sectors,” the spokesperson said.

They said about 60 per cent of Tasmanian students were reported with strong or exceeding levels of achievement, and that the state’s results at all levels were comparable to those of Queensland and South Australia.

Rear view of middle school students studying in classroom Picture: istock

The NAPLAN data shows Tasmania has the second highest number of year nine students requiring additional support with their reading in the country, below only the Northern Territory.

Just 14.1 per cent of Tasmanian year nine students surpassed the expected standards for reading, compared to The Australian Capital Territory, which had 22.5 per cent.

The results released on Wednesday by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority show that participation rates across all years and domains have rebounded to pre-Covid levels, with 2025 the highest participation rate since 2017.

In today’s Talking Points, Education Program Director at the Grattan Institute Jordana Hunter says the data painted a worrying picture.

“This isn’t just a one off,” she said. “Results have barely budged in the last two years.”

Ms Hunter provides some tips to help boost student performance by boosting teaching quality on Page 16.

The NAPLAN National Results provide nationally comparable data on the 2025 national and state/territory results for each test domain and year level assessed, and by gender, Indigenous status and language background other than English.

The data showed, across the country, the average NAPLAN scores for all year levels and all domains for students from the highest socio-educational background (measured by either parental education or parental occupation) were substantially above those from the lowest.

Female students outperformed male students in writing, achieving average NAPLAN scores above boys in every year group, and male students generally outperformed females in numeracy.

Originally published as Tasmanian students continue to lag behind mainland counterparts, NAPLAN results show