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Two in five year 3 students in Queensland have failed to meet national NAPLAN numeracy benchmarks, months after the state began a numeracy screening trial for year 1 children.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority warned a similar “clearly concerning” dip in year 3 cohorts across the country was recorded when the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy results were released on Wednesday.
In Queensland, the numeracy skills of 43.3 per cent of year 3 students were classified as either “developing” or “needs additional support” – the lowest bands.
Nationally, 35.9 per cent of year 3 students fell into these categories, while Victoria recorded the strongest results of any state or territory, with more than 70 per cent achieving the national benchmark.
Brisbane mum Katie Wilson said she felt her year 3 and 5 children performed “OK” in this year’s tests and had been “pretty happy” with their scores.
Wilson said the pair also found the actual tests easier than they expected after a long period of training at their state school.
“There’s lots of preparation – so talk around it – in the lead-up … but I also feel that that, in a way, causes anxiety,” she said.
ACARA chief executive Stephen Gniel said while families should not be stressed about the point-in-time test itself, the year 3 results pointed to a national issue.
“The drop in year 3 numeracy results are clearly concerning,” Gniel said.
He said the assessment authority was already reviewing its mathematics curriculum from prep through to year 2, and education ministers were rolling out “a range of measures”, including national year 1 numeracy checks.
In Queensland, year 1 students at 62 schools were screened for their numeracy ability at the start of 2026.
A Queensland Education Department spokesperson said the screening was expected to find weaknesses in numeracy “as early as possible, so assistance can be provided before learning gaps widen”.
When asked by this masthead what resources the department had offered to teachers, schools and students, the spokesperson said it was still analysing results from the year 1 screenings and gathering additional data.
“Information gathered through the number check pilot [year 1 screening], alongside teacher feedback and research findings, will help inform future decisions about the most effective ways to support numeracy development in Queensland schools,” the spokesperson said.
Gniel said the NAPLAN tests also flagged weaknesses in reading scores across years 5, 7, and 9 as compared to 2025.
“It is also disheartening to see disparities persisting … from our regional and remote areas, Indigenous students and those from a disadvantaged background,” he said.
Just under one-quarter of students across all year levels from very remote schools nationally cleared the curriculum benchmarks for reading and numeracy by scoring in the two highest brackets, “strong” or “exceeding”.
In major cities, 70.0 and 70.8 per cent of students, respectively, cleared the national benchmarks for reading and numeracy.
In Queensland, about one-third of students sitting NAPLAN tests this year lived outside major cities, compared to 21.5 per cent of Victorian students and 24.1 per cent in NSW.
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