NAPLAN results revealed: Lismore’s top schools searched

Lismore’s best and brightest schools have been revealed, with NAPLAN results showing learning from home affected some cohorts. See all the results.

Lismore’s best and brightest have been celebrated with new NAPLAN data revealing how learning from home affected students over the past year.

A sample of the results from the region’s top schools reveal where students are both falling behind and surging forward.

In the 2021 round of NAPLAN, the biggest discrepancy between schools was found in year three, where Summerland Christian College outshone its closest competitor Wyrallah Road Public School by an average of six points across reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy tests at an average score of 454.8.

This average out totalled Lismore Public School by 105.6 points for the same grade.

Competition closed ranks as NAPLAN results were revealed for senior grades across the region.

Summerland Christian College took out the best average scores for both year seven and nine at 571.8 and 595.6 respectively.

The Goonellabah school was the clear winner in all academic tests in the year seven Lismore and Goonellabah cohort and second only to St John’s College Woodlawn in year nine numeracy and spelling scores.

The Woodlawn Rd Catholic school scored an impressive 609 and 591 in those categories respectively.

Summerland Christian College again took out the best average score for year five tests at 535.6.

Summerland Christian College principal Nate Atkinson said he was proud of his students for their NAPLAN performance.

“While NAPLAN data itself isn’t a full measure of student success or growth, it has affirmed the significant effort the College has invested into providing a solid base of literacy and numeracy for our students,” he said.

“As Summerland Christian College moves from strength to strength, it has its eyes firmly on a future-focused, hope-filled education that builds the key learning and character dispositions we know students will need for both academic and life success.”

It comes as improvements to NAPLAN, including moving the test to Term One and returning results much earlier, will be implemented from 2023 following a review led by NSW.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell said she was pleased that changes were happening in line with the review initiated by NSW in 2019 to make NAPLAN a more effective diagnostic tool.

“These are necessary changes I have been pushing for over the past two years, particularly following the success of the NSW Check-In Assessments, which give teachers results within 48 hours,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Currently the timing of NAPLAN means it is not diagnostic, as students sit the tests quite late and results are delivered months later, minimising their value in the classroom.”