NAPLAN results Toowoomba: Top primary, secondary schools revealed

Queensland NAPLAN results have been revealed and some Toowoomba schools have topped the charts and ranked high. SEE THE INTERACTIVES

An all-girls’ college has ranked top of the class in the Darling Downs for the 2021 NAPLAN results.

Fairholme College recorded a combined average total of 1194 across Year 7 and Year 9 participating students.

Head of Middle School Jaye Ross said it was a pleasure to receive the strong results.

“It is feedback for our girls and families that they can have confidence in their daughter’s learning here at Fairholme,” she said.

“It is rewarding for the girls to get these good results as our students work hard and do their best work both in NAPLAN testing and in their everyday classrooms.”

St Ursula's College was also a very high performer in the 2021 results, with an average of 567.8 for the Year 7 cohort and 591.2 for the Year 9 cohort.

The school's combined average total is 1159, making it the fifth ranked secondary school in the city.

ACADEMIC: Fairholme College Year 10 students Jordi Chesterfield, Haylee Crouch and Olivia Clark were among the secondary students to record top performing NAPLAN results. PICTURE: Morgan Burley

This was not the first time the college had received top results, after being named one of the top schools in the state during the 2019 test period.

“We are fortunate that our girls regularly receive strong NAPLAN results,” Ms Ross said.

“It is a credit to them and their teachers and their parents. However, we are aware that results can vary from year to year as all cohorts are different.

“We are always proud of our students regardless of whether they are the best in the region or not as our students work hard and apply themselves always.”

This year, Fairholme College ranked 32 of all Queensland secondary schools for their NAPLAN results.

ACHIEVEMENTS: Fairholme College Year 10 students Kayla Horncy, Grace James and Lizzie Janetzki were among the secondary students to record top performing NAPLAN results. PICTURE: Morgan Burley

Toowoomba Anglican School has been named the top performing primary school in the Darling Downs with its combined Year 3 and Year 5 average totalling 1007.8

Head of School Simon Lees said it was a combined school effort across all students.

“We are delighted with both primary and secondary student work and results. The key is to look at the value-add scores rather than league tables.,” he said.

“We will review the results as always but never use NAPLAN as our only benchmark.

“Children have so much more to offer to society than standard test scores.

“We congratulate all of our hardworking staff for their efforts over an extended period of time.”Education Minister Grace Grace said she was “extremely proud” the state had continued to improve its literacy and numeracy results since NAPLAN began in 2018, and that “our results held up well” during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“A big thank you to the teachers, principals, staff, parents and carers, who supported and prepared our students throughout the process,” she said.

“I was especially impressed with students’ writing results, which improved across all year levels with our Year 3 students recording their highest results ever.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk also congratulated the state’s top schools.

She said that after two of the “toughest and most disruptive time for Queensland students in the history of our state”, students had scored an “A plus”.

“Despite all of (the challenges) and based on the latest NAPLAN results, I can safely say that this cohort is among the best and brightest we have ever seen in Queensland,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms Grace announced in parliament that from next year, students would sit their annual NAPLAN tests earlier.

Ms Grace said the country’s education ministers had agreed to move the test to term one rather than term two.

“Moving the test forward means that valuable dataset will be available earlier in the year to inform teaching and learning programs and to give parents information about their child’s performance earlier in the year,” Ms Grace told parliament.

Top Primary Schools with top average totals

Top Secondary Schools with top average totals