Year 5 is a key checkpoint in primary school. It shows how well students have built on the literacy and numeracy skills developed since Year 3, and whether they're ready for the demands of upper primary and the move to secondary school. This analysis covers the 2026 Year 5 NAPLAN results released by ACARA. It compares every state and territory across all five domains, tracks results since 2023, looks back as far as 2008 and measures how much students have grown since Year 3.
Key Takeaways
- Year 5 numeracy is at its highest level since 2023. The national average rose to 493.7, and 70.7% of students reached Strong or Exceeding, a statistically significant improvement (ACARA, 2026).
- Year 5 reading fell to its lowest level since 2023 (487.5). The decline is statistically significant nationally and in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
- Spelling also improved, with a significant rise in the share of students at Strong or above (69.8%).
- Grammar and punctuation is the weakest Year 5 domain, with 63.0% of students at Strong or above.
- Boys are almost twice as likely as girls to reach Exceeding in numeracy (17.0% vs 9.2%), while girls lead in every literacy domain.
- Tasmania's 2026 results were not reported because participation in government schools was too low.
What Is NAPLAN?
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a national assessment held each year in March for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It tests foundational skills in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
NAPLAN isn't a test of content knowledge. It measures how well students apply literacy and numeracy skills developed over time through the school curriculum. Governments, schools and teachers use the results to track progress nationally and identify where support is needed.
Why Is NAPLAN Done in Year 5?
By Year 5, students are moving from learning to read towards reading to learn, and from basic number skills to more complex problem-solving. Year 5 NAPLAN results show:
- How much students have grown since their Year 3 results.
- Whether foundational gaps have closed or widened in the upper primary years.
- How ready students are for the demands of Years 6 and 7 and the move to secondary school.
For parents, Year 5 NAPLAN is a mid-point snapshot of their child's progress, and a chance to address any gaps before high school.
What Are the Proficiency Levels?
Since 2023, NAPLAN results have been reported using four proficiency levels:
- Exceeding: The student's result exceeds expectations at the time of testing.
- Strong: The student's result meets challenging but reasonable expectations.
- Developing: The student is working towards expectations.
- Needs additional support: The student is not achieving the expected learning outcomes and is likely to need additional support.
Students at Strong or Exceeding are considered to be meeting expectations. There's no official target, but many schools aim to have at least two-thirds (66%) of their students at Strong or above.
What Domains Are Assessed?
- Reading: Understanding, interpreting and analysing a range of written texts.
- Writing: Writing a narrative or persuasive piece, assessed on structure, ideas, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.
- Spelling: Applying spelling patterns and rules correctly.
- Grammar and punctuation: Using sentence structure, verb agreement, capitalisation and punctuation correctly.
- Numeracy: Solving problems across number, algebra, measurement, geometry and statistics.
Important Notes About the 2026 Results
- Tasmania wasn't reported. Industrial action led to low participation in Tasmanian government schools, well below ACARA's reporting standard. Education ministers agreed not to publish Tasmanian state-level results for 2026, so Tasmania appears in the trend charts only up to 2025.
- Writing results come with a caveat. A technical issue with the national NAPLAN platform disrupted the writing test on the first morning of testing, mainly for schools on the east coast and only for Years 5, 7 and 9. National writing scores remained similar to last year, but ACARA has flagged the 2026 Year 5 writing results with a caveat.
- Not every change is meaningful. ACARA tests whether each change is statistically significant. Smaller jurisdictions like the ACT and the Northern Territory can swing several points from year to year without it being a real change, so we highlight which movements ACARA classifies as significant.
A Longer View: Year 5 NAPLAN Since 2008
NAPLAN has been running since 2008, but in 2023 the test moved from May to March and results began being reported on a new scale with the four proficiency levels. Because of this, scores from 2008 to 2022 can't be compared directly with scores from 2023 onwards. We show the two periods separately, but together they reveal how Year 5 skills have changed over almost two decades.
Source: ACARA NAPLAN results 2008–2022 (pre-2023 scale; not comparable with 2023 onwards). No NAPLAN in 2020.
| Domain | First year | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 484.4 (2008) | 509.7 | +25.3 |
| Spelling | 483.8 (2008) | 504.5 | +20.7 |
| Numeracy | 475.9 (2008) | 488.3 | +12.4 |
| Grammar and Punctuation | 496.2 (2008) | 498.8 | +2.6 |
| Writing | 482.6 (2011) | 484.3 | +1.7 |
Reading and spelling improved steadily between 2008 and 2022. Numeracy rose until 2019 (495.9), then dropped back by 2022, but it has recovered strongly on the new scale since 2023. Grammar and punctuation and writing have barely moved in almost two decades, with several states finishing lower than they started.
National Overview
At the national level, Year 5 numeracy and spelling improved in 2026, while reading declined.
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results.
| Domain | Average score 2026 | Change from 2025 | % Strong or above | % Needs support or exempt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammar and Punctuation | 497.1 | −0.1 | 63.0% | 14.0% |
| Numeracy | 493.7 | +1.9 | 70.7% (significant rise) | 9.4% |
| Spelling | 488.8 | +1.3 | 69.8% (significant rise) | 10.2% |
| Reading | 487.5 | −4.4 (significant) | 70.9% (significant fall) | 9.5% |
| Writing | 481.8 | +2.2 | 65.6% | 12.1% |
Year 5 tells the opposite story to Year 3. Numeracy, which fell in Year 3, has improved every year since 2023 in Year 5. Reading, which was stable in Year 3, has fallen to its lowest Year 5 level since the new scale began.
What Were the Results in 2026?
Reading
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania 2026 not reported due to low participation.
Year 5 reading declined across the country in 2026. The national average fell from 491.8 to 487.5, a statistically significant drop, and every state recorded a lower score than in 2025. The falls in NSW (−4.7), Victoria (−5.1), South Australia (−4.9) and Western Australia (−4.3) are statistically significant. Compared with 2023, the national average is down 8.5 points, with significant declines in NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia.
The ACT (500.3) and Victoria (497.6) still recorded the highest reading scores. The Northern Territory was the only jurisdiction to improve, rising slightly to 421.4.
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania not reported in 2026.
Despite the decline, 70.9% of Year 5 students were at Strong or above in reading, above the two-thirds mark. That share has fallen significantly from 72.9% in 2025 and 74.2% in 2023, and the proportion at Exceeding has dropped from 21.3% in 2023 to 17.6%. The ACT (77.8%) and Victoria (75.3%) had the highest shares at Strong or above, while 31.4% of Northern Territory students need additional support.
The long-term view. Between 2008 and 2022, Year 5 reading rose by 25 points nationally on the previous scale, with the biggest improvements in the Northern Territory (+39.5), Queensland (+34.7) and Western Australia (+31.3). This makes the declines since 2023 more notable. They reverse a long period of steady improvement.
Source: ACARA NAPLAN results 2008–2022 (pre-2023 scale; not comparable with 2023 onwards). No NAPLAN in 2020.
Writing
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania 2026 not reported due to low participation.
Year 5 writing recovered slightly in 2026, rising from 479.6 to 481.8 nationally, although none of the changes from 2025 are statistically significant and the results carry ACARA's caveat about the testing disruption. Victoria (496.8) led clearly, followed by NSW (486.9) and the ACT (480.5). Queensland recorded the largest increase (+7.1).
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania not reported in 2026.
Nationally, 65.6% of Year 5 students were at Strong or above in writing, just below the two-thirds mark, and 10.3% need additional support. Victoria was the only jurisdiction well above 66% (73.1%). In Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, around 60% of students met expectations, and in the Northern Territory, 37.7% need additional support.
The long-term view. Writing is the domain where Year 5 results have changed least over time. The national average rose by just 1.7 points between 2011 and 2022, and NSW, Queensland and the ACT finished slightly lower than they started.
Source: ACARA NAPLAN results 2008–2022 (pre-2023 scale; not comparable with 2023 onwards). No NAPLAN in 2020. Writing is comparable from 2011.
Spelling
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania 2026 not reported due to low participation.
Year 5 spelling edged up to 488.8 nationally, and the share of students at Strong or above rose significantly to 69.8%. NSW recorded the highest score (498.0), followed by the ACT (495.6) and Victoria (495.3). The Northern Territory recovered strongly (+9.0) after a low in 2025, though the change isn't statistically significant.
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania not reported in 2026.
Spelling is one of the most evenly spread Year 5 domains. Every state except Queensland (64.1%) had more than two-thirds of students at Strong or above, and NSW had the highest share at Exceeding (23.8%).
The long-term view. Year 5 spelling rose by around 21 points nationally between 2008 and 2022, led by the Northern Territory (+38.6), Western Australia (+33.4) and Queensland (+31.9), which narrowed their gap with the leading states.
Source: ACARA NAPLAN results 2008–2022 (pre-2023 scale; not comparable with 2023 onwards). No NAPLAN in 2020.
Grammar and Punctuation
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania 2026 not reported due to low participation.
The national grammar and punctuation average was unchanged at 497.1. Victoria (508.3), the ACT (507.6) and NSW (506.8) led, and Victoria's result is significantly higher than in 2023. Queensland has moved in the other direction. Its average of 482.6 is significantly lower than in 2023 (489.9).
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania not reported in 2026.
Grammar and punctuation is the weakest Year 5 domain, with 63.0% of students at Strong or above and 12.2% needing additional support. The ACT (69.1%) and Victoria (67.1%) were the only jurisdictions above two-thirds. Queensland (57.3%) and South Australia (57.2%) had the lowest shares among the states.
The long-term view. Grammar and punctuation has barely changed since 2008 (+2.6 points nationally on the previous scale). Victoria (−10.4), the ACT (−11.8) and Tasmania (−11.9) all finished 2022 lower than they started in 2008.
Source: ACARA NAPLAN results 2008–2022 (pre-2023 scale; not comparable with 2023 onwards). No NAPLAN in 2020.
Numeracy
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania 2026 not reported due to low participation.
Numeracy is the good-news story of the 2026 Year 5 results. The national average rose for the third year in a row to 493.7, significantly higher than in 2023 (487.6). Victoria (504.4) recorded the highest score and the largest improvement since 2023 (+10.1), with significant gains also in South Australia (+7.8) and Western Australia (+6.4). Every state improved on 2025.
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results. Tasmania not reported in 2026.
The share of Year 5 students at Strong or above in numeracy rose significantly to 70.7%, up from 68.9% in 2025 and 67.7% in 2023, and only 7.6% need additional support. The ACT (76.7%), Victoria (75.0%) and NSW (73.1%) led, and every state was at or near two-thirds.
The long-term view. On the previous scale, Year 5 numeracy rose by 12 points between 2008 and 2022, led by Western Australia (+26.3) and Queensland (+20.5). Results peaked in 2019 and dipped by 2022, but Year 5 numeracy has recovered strongly since the new scale began.
Source: ACARA NAPLAN results 2008–2022 (pre-2023 scale; not comparable with 2023 onwards). No NAPLAN in 2020.
Year 5 numeracy is improving while Year 3 declines. Year 5 numeracy has risen by 6.1 points since 2023. Year 3 is the only year level where numeracy has fallen over that time.
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results.
Beyond the Averages: Who's Doing Well and Who Needs Support?
Girls Lead in Literacy, Boys Lead in Numeracy
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results.
Year 5 girls outperformed boys in every literacy domain, most clearly in writing (70.8% vs 60.5% at Strong or above) and grammar and punctuation (66.9% vs 59.3%). Boys led in numeracy (73.7% vs 67.5%) and were almost twice as likely to reach Exceeding (17.0% vs 9.2%), the widest numeracy gap at the top end of any year level.
Girls' reading results have dropped noticeably, from 78.3% at Strong or above in 2023 to 73.8% in 2026, while boys' results fell less (70.3% to 68.2%). In numeracy, both girls and boys improved in 2026.
Location Makes a Big Difference
Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results.
In major cities, 74.1% of Year 5 students were at Strong or above in reading, compared with 59.2% in outer regional areas and just 25.7% in very remote schools. Numeracy follows the same pattern, from 74.2% in major cities to 24.3% in very remote schools.
Family Background and Language
- Parental education: 84.8% of Year 5 students whose parents have a bachelor's degree were at Strong or above in numeracy, compared with 53.8% where parents finished Year 12 and 35.3% where parents finished Year 11.
- Language background: Students with a language background other than English outperformed other students in every domain, especially in spelling (77.2% vs 66.4%) and writing (71.2% vs 63.0%).
- Indigenous students: 39.6% of Indigenous Year 5 students were at Strong or above in reading, compared with 73.4% of non-Indigenous students.
How Does Year 5 Compare With Other Year Levels?
| Domain | Year 3 | Year 5 | Year 7 | Year 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 65.6% | 70.9% | 66.8% | 62.0% |
| Numeracy | 62.1% | 70.7% | 69.9% | 65.3% |
| Spelling | 61.6% | 69.8% | 72.5% | 71.3% |
| Writing | 73.9% | 65.6% | 62.4% | 59.9% |
| Grammar and Punctuation | 53.9% | 63.0% | 60.1% | 54.0% |
Percentage of students at Strong or Exceeding in 2026, Australia.
Year 5 has the highest share of students meeting expectations of any year level in reading, numeracy and grammar and punctuation. Writing is the exception: the share meeting expectations drops from 73.9% in Year 3 to 65.6% in Year 5, and keeps falling through secondary school. Year 5 is often a high point, which makes it a good time to build the skills students will need for the step up to secondary school.
How Much Did Students Grow From Year 3 to Year 5?
NAPLAN uses a single scale across all year levels, so we can track how much a group of students grows over two years. Students who sat Year 3 NAPLAN in 2024 sat Year 5 NAPLAN in 2026:
| Domain | Year 3 (2024) | Year 5 (2026) | National growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Numeracy | 403.8 | 493.7 | +89.9 |
| Grammar and Punctuation | 408.8 | 497.1 | +88.3 |
| Spelling | 401.4 | 488.8 | +87.4 |
| Reading | 404.1 | 487.5 | +83.4 |
| Writing | 415.9 | 481.8 | +65.9 |
Growth varied between states. Among the states, Western Australia recorded the strongest growth in numeracy (+92.1) and reading (+88.0), while Victoria grew the least in reading (+79.9) but the most in writing (+73.9). The Northern Territory also grew strongly in reading (+91.1), although from a much lower starting point. Writing showed the smallest growth in every state, which is consistent with its decline in the share of students meeting expectations from Year 3 to Year 5.
Looking ahead, students who sat Year 5 NAPLAN in 2024 grew by 58.9 points in numeracy and 43.0 points in reading by Year 7 in 2026. Growth slows after Year 5, so the foundations built in upper primary matter.
Final Thoughts
| Domain | Average score 2026 | % Strong or above | % Needs support or exempt | Commentary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numeracy | 493.7 | 70.7% | 9.4% | Highest since 2023, with significant improvement |
| Reading | 487.5 | 70.9% | 9.5% | Significant decline, lowest since 2023 |
| Spelling | 488.8 | 69.8% | 10.2% | Significant rise in students meeting expectations |
| Writing | 481.8 | 65.6% | 12.1% | Stable, but results carry a testing caveat |
| Grammar and Punctuation | 497.1 | 63.0% | 14.0% | Weakest domain, largely unchanged since 2008 |
The 2026 Year 5 results are mixed. Numeracy continues to improve, with more students meeting expectations and fewer needing support, and Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia have made significant gains since 2023. Spelling is also heading in the right direction.
Reading is the main concern. After improving steadily for more than a decade on the previous scale, Year 5 reading has declined significantly since 2023, and almost every state has gone backwards. Grammar and punctuation and writing remain the weakest domains, and neither has improved much over the long term.
The gaps between students also persist: between boys and girls, between metropolitan and remote students, and between students from different family backgrounds. For families, Year 5 is an ideal time to strengthen reading comprehension and writing before students make the transition to secondary school.
What Can Parents Do?
- Read the report as a snapshot. NAPLAN is one test on one day. Use it alongside your child's school reports and conversations with their teacher.
- Keep reading at home. As reading results fall, encourage your child to read widely for enjoyment, including longer novels and non-fiction, and talk about what they've read.
- Practise extended writing. Short persuasive pieces and stories, with feedback on structure and vocabulary, build the skills that drop away in later years.
- Keep numeracy practical. Budgeting, measuring, timetables and problem-solving puzzles help students apply maths in context.
- Get support early if needed. If your child is at Developing or Needs additional support, addressing gaps in Year 5 makes the transition to high school much smoother. Our NAPLAN tutors in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth work one-on-one with students to build the literacy and numeracy skills NAPLAN assesses. Read more about why primary students are falling behind in maths and English.
See our Year 3 NAPLAN 2026 analysis, or last year's analyses for Year 5, Year 7 and Year 9.
Frequently Asked Questions
When were the 2026 NAPLAN results released?
ACARA released the 2026 NAPLAN National Results on 5 August 2026. Students sat the tests in March 2026.
What percentage of Year 5 students met expectations in 2026?
Nationally, 70.9% of Year 5 students were at Strong or above in reading, 70.7% in numeracy, 69.8% in spelling, 65.6% in writing and 63.0% in grammar and punctuation.
Did Year 5 NAPLAN results go up or down in 2026?
Both. Numeracy and spelling improved, with significant increases in the share of students meeting expectations. Reading declined significantly, falling to its lowest level since 2023.
Which state had the best Year 5 NAPLAN results in 2026?
Victoria, the ACT and NSW led every domain. Victoria recorded the highest scores in writing, grammar and punctuation, and numeracy, the ACT in reading, and NSW in spelling.
Why weren't Tasmania's 2026 NAPLAN results reported?
Participation in Tasmanian government schools was too low because of industrial action, falling well below ACARA's standard for accurate reporting. Education ministers agreed not to report Tasmanian state-level results for 2026.
Need Help Building Your Child's Literacy and Numeracy Skills?
Our tutors offer one-on-one support for primary students in reading, writing and maths, in person and online, helping children close gaps and build confidence before high school.
Find NAPLAN tutoring near you:
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Source: ACARA, 2026 NAPLAN National Results, national results dataset and NAPLAN results 2008–2022. All figures are for Year 5 students unless stated.
