What Is a Good NAPLAN Score? Results by Year Level

There is no single “good” score

Parents often ask whether their child's score is “good” or “bad.” The honest answer is that a single NAPLAN result, taken in isolation, tells you very little. What matters is context: how your child performed relative to expectations for their year level, and how they have grown since their last sitting.

A Year 3 student achieving Band 4 in Reading is performing solidly above the proficient standard. A Year 9 student at Band 4 in Reading is significantly below it. The same band number means very different things depending on the year level.

National averages by year level

The national average is the band where the middle of all Australian students falls for each year level. Approximately:

• Year 3: National average is around Band 3 to 4 across domains
• Year 5: National average is around Band 5 to 6 across domains
• Year 7: National average is around Band 6 to 7 across domains
• Year 9: National average is around Band 7 to 8 across domains

These are approximations — averages vary slightly between domains (Reading, Writing, Conventions, Numeracy) and between years. The key point is that the expected band increases by roughly two bands between each NAPLAN year level, reflecting two years of schooling.

Proficient standards

Since the 2023 reporting changes, NAPLAN uses four proficiency levels rather than just the old “national minimum standard.” The proficient standard sits at the boundary between Developing and Strong:

• Exceeding: Well above the expected level for this year
• Strong: At or above the challenging but reasonable expectation
• Developing: Below the proficient standard but progressing
• Needs Additional Support: Significantly below expectations, requiring intervention

The proficient standard is deliberately set as a “challenging but reasonable” expectation. This means that a significant proportion of students will fall below it — being in the Developing category does not mean a child is at risk. It means there are specific skills they have not yet demonstrated mastery of.

How scaled scores work

Behind the band result sits a scaled score — a precise numerical value on the NAPLAN measurement scale. This scale is common across all year levels, which makes it possible to measure growth between sittings.

For example, a Year 5 student with a Reading scaled score of 480 and a Year 7 Reading scaled score of 540 has grown by 60 points over two years. Whether that growth is “good” depends on the expected growth rate. ACARA provides expected growth benchmarks, and your child's report will indicate whether their growth was above, at, or below what was expected.

Scaled scores are more granular than bands. Two students can both be in Band 6 but have very different scaled scores — one might be at the low end of Band 6, barely above Band 5, while the other is near the top, approaching Band 7. If you want a precise measure of progress, look at the scaled score rather than just the band.

Why growth matters more than one result

A single NAPLAN result is a snapshot taken on one day. Your child might have been tired, anxious, or simply had a bad morning. The real value of NAPLAN comes when you compare results across sittings to measure growth.

A child who moves from Developing in Year 5 to Strong in Year 7 has made excellent progress, regardless of their absolute band number. A child who stays at Exceeding across both sittings looks strong — but if their scaled score has barely moved, they may not be growing at the rate you would expect.

Rather than asking “Is this a good score?” the more useful question is “Which specific skills should my child develop before the next sitting?” A band score cannot answer that. Practice that tracks performance at the individual skill level can.

What to focus on as a parent

When you receive your child's results, focus on three things:

• Proficiency level: Is your child at Strong or above? If not, what domain is weakest?
• Growth: Has their scaled score improved since the last sitting? Is the growth above or below expected?
• Domain comparison: Which domain is strongest and which is weakest? This helps prioritise where to focus practice.

Avoid comparing your child to specific other students. NAPLAN is most useful as a tool for tracking your own child's development over time, not for ranking them against peers.