This year’s NAPLAN results show that participation rates for Catholic schools have exceeded both state and national averages, demonstrating Catholic education’s strong commitment to assessment and ongoing support for students, Catholic Schools NSW says.
In 2025, 98.4 per cent of students in Catholic systemic schools participated in NAPLAN, a result 4.6 per cent higher than the national average (93.8 per cent) and 1.2 per cent higher than the NSW average (97.2 per cent). This marks an increase from the already strong 2024 rate of 98.0 per cent.
Participation rates in Catholic systemic schools were higher than both state and national averages across all grades and domains. Notably, they exceeded the benchmarks by more than 1 per cent in Years 3 and 5, more than 2 per cent in Year 7, and over 5 per cent in Year 9 across reading, writing and numeracy.
Beyond participation, Catholic systemic schools continue to perform strongly in learning outcomes. Seventy-four per cent of Catholic systemic students across all years and domains achieved results in the Strong & Exceeding proficiency levels, well above the national average of 66 per cent.
“The leading participation rates in the Catholic education sector demonstrate the commitment of our schools, teachers and families in ensuring every child has the necessary support to achieve their educational potential,” Catholic Schools NSW chief executive Dallas McInerney said.
“Giving students the opportunity to demonstrate their capability while also identifying areas for improvement is essential for learning,” Mr McInerney said.
“Though NAPLAN’s legitimacy has been contested, we are thankfully past the days of listening to those who blame the umpire.
“Catholic schools have joined the NSW Government in committing to supporting the early identification of student learning needs, including through the phonics and numeracy checks agreed to in the Better Fairer Schools Agreement”.
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Catholic schools achieve leading NAPLAN participation rates (Catholic School NSW)
