RANKED: How every Qld school performed in NAPLAN
A Courier-Mail analysis of data for more than 1700 primary and secondary schools revealed Queensland’s top performing NAPLAN schools for 2024. SEARCH YOUR SCHOOL
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The top performing Queensland schools for NAPLAN 2024 have been revealed with the metropolitan schools emerging on top while the state’s rural cousins continue to linger behind.
A Courier-Mail analysis of data for more than 1700 primary and secondary schools revealed around 80 per cent of the top 50 performing schools were metropolitan, highlighting the academic divide between Queensland’s most disadvantaged students and those in the cities becoming greater each year.
Just five regional schools appeared in the top 50 primary schools and seven in secondary.
The lowest 100 performing schools scoring less than a 430 average were largely located in north or far north Queensland, this is in contrast to the top 100 schools in which the greater part were located in South East Queensland.
A majority of the top performing schools for Queensland were independent with only seven government schools falling into the top 20 primary schools and just two for secondary. All were from the Brisbane area.
Sunnybank Hills State School took out top primary school, moving up from second place last year after their year 5 average jumped from 574.6 in 2023 to 585.8 in 2024.
The public school was ranked alongside some of Queensland’s most elite private schools including Brisbane Grammar School, St Margaret’s Anglican School and St Peters Lutheran College all charging eye-watering annual fees.
Meanwhile, the selective entry Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology has retained its mantle as one of the state’s most consistent and best academic schools with a landslide average of 699.
This year, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) compiled a list of ‘schools making a difference’ who were achieving above expectation consistently over two years.
The list of schools for 2024 is chosen from the My School NAPLAN results data where schools have consistently achieved average NAPLAN scores across all domains (reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy) and all school years (years 3, 5, 7 and 9) that are above the results for students with a similar Socio-Educational background.
One of these schools, and among the top 60 primary schools in Queensland was north Brisbane’s McDowall State School with principal Imogen Stager expressing her delight with the students’ consistent results.
“We are incredibly proud of our students and their outstanding results in the NAPLAN assessments,” Ms Stager said.
“Our teaching staff create opportunities for all students to access a high-quality education that allows all students to reach their full potential.
“NAPLAN is one measure that forms a part of students’ educational success throughout their schooling. Our students also excel in other educational and social attributes that include kindness, empathy, curiosity in learning, they are understanding of others and are inclusive of all students.”
Other schools on the list included Indooroopilly State School, Wishart State School and Beenleigh State School.
“It is a very pleasing recognition for the whole school community. It recognises the close partnership that teachers and parents share, in providing the best possible learning environment for our children,” Mr Mill said.
Independent schools Ipswich Grammar School and Citipointe Christian College were crowned second and third among primary schools, with year 5 averages of 581 and 576.2 respectively.
In secondary, Brisbane Girls Grammar and Brisbane Grammar School made up a repeat podium of the 2023 NAPLAN results.
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