The 2025 NAPLAN results demonstrate huge inequalities in Australia’s education system, according to an analysis by Save Our Schools (SOS).
According to the analysis, the NAPLAN results show “vast achievement gaps between rich and poor”.
The analysis, by economist Trevor Cobbold, shows that:
- Year 9 students of parents with a bachelor’s degree or higher achieved at much higher average scores in reading, writing and numeracy than students of parents who only completed Year 11.
- Year 9 students of parents in the highest occupational group (Elected officials, senior executives/managers, qualified professionals etc) scored 63-71 points more than students of parents in the lowest occupation group (Machine operators, sales/office/service/hospitality staff, assistants, labourers, and related workers).
- The gap between Indigenous students and those of highly educated parents remain very large: 98 points for reading, 114 points for writing and 116 points for numeracy. These gaps represent over four years of learning for reading and nearly five years for writing and numeracy.
- Students living in remote areas are also achieving at well below average rates.
- Very large proportions of disadvantaged students are not achieving national proficiency standards in reading, writing and numeracy.
- The Heads of Agreement of the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement specifies targets to increase equity in school outcomes by 2030. However, the Agreement lacks a clear definition of equity. This means that the targets are too weak to make Australian school education fairer. For example, there is no requirement to reduce the proportion of disadvantaged students in the NAPLAN level ‘Needing Additional Support’.
- Public schools have long been under-funded for the learning challenges they face. The vast majority of students in need of additional support attend public schools. In 2024, they were only funded at an average of 88% of their Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) across Australia. By contrast, private schools were over-funded on average at 104% of their SRS.
- Public schools face a funding crisis. Governments have to be forced to fully support public education. It demands an organised response from public school and community organisations. (The SOS article provides specific suggestions as to what a fair deal for public schools should include.)
Read the full analysis on SOS website