The gap in reading and numeracy skills between Australia's most and least advantaged students has widened further. New analysis of the 2026 NAPLAN results confirms this trend, adding weight to concerns raised when the national test scores were released this month.
Andres Molina, a senior research fellow at Victoria University's Mitchell Institute, tracked the reading gap for Year 3 students. In 2023, students whose parents did not complete school were one year and 10 months behind students whose parents held a bachelor's degree. This year's results, first shared with The Conversation, show that gap has widened to two years and two months.
The disparity is starker in high school. The Year 7 reading gap grew from four years and 11 months in 2023 to five years and six months in 2026. The Year 9 gap expanded from six years to six years and eight months over the same period.
Numeracy results were more mixed. The gap narrowed slightly in Year 5 numeracy, from two years and 10 months in 2023 to two years and five months in 2026. It widened sharply in secondary school, however. The Year 7 numeracy gap grew from five years and three months to five years and eleven months. The Year 9 gap expanded from six years and eight months to seven years and nine months.
Regulator and advocates confirm the pattern
The finding aligns with reaction from the national curriculum authority and a leading children's charity. Both responded when the results were first published early August. Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) chief executive Stephen Gniel said the gaps remain the system's toughest challenge. Disparities for regional, remote, Indigenous and disadvantaged students "have persisted over the years," he said.
The Smith Family, a national children's education charity, went further. It said "no significant progress" had been made in narrowing the achievement gap. Three in 10 disadvantaged students still need additional support to meet minimum standards, the charity noted. That rate is 10 times higher than for their higher-income peers, it said.
Academic commentary published separately by the Australian Association for Research in Education echoed the equity concern. Contributors to the EduResearch Matters blog of the Australian Association for Research in Education argued Australia's numeracy challenge is fundamentally about unequal achievement. They described equity as the "biggest story" in the 2026 results.
Remote and regional divide also widening
The socioeconomic gap tracked by Molina sits alongside a geographic divide flagged in the national results. About 70% of students from major-city schools were rated as exceeding or strong in reading and numeracy. Just 23% of students in very remote schools reached that standard. Nationally, more than 1.2 million students across 9,400 schools sat the test in March.
Molina's report attributes the growing divide to structural rather than short-term causes. It points to the increasing concentration of disadvantaged students within already under-resourced schools as a compounding factor. His research points to "full-service schools" as one possible model. These pair academic instruction with health and wellbeing support delivered in partnership with community services. The model has been shown to improve attendance and engagement when implemented well.