Research · Data analysis

Most improved primary schools of the decade

Schools ranked by 11-year change in mean Year 5 NAPLAN score. Different angle to a single-year leaderboard — these are schools where the improvement persisted.

Schoogaroo Research·Source: ACARA / MySchool

Why a 12-year window matters

A school that climbs 30 points in one year often falls back the next. A school that climbs 30 points and stays there for a decade is doing something durable — different leadership, a different programme, a different cohort. The list below uses the difference between each school's 2014 mean and its most recent year's mean to surface the schools where the change held.

Only Year 5 (Primary) is shown. Schools must have had reported scores in both the earliest and the most recent year, and at least 3 of the 5 subjects in each, to qualify.

What jumps out

NSW’s leading improver on this cut is Islington Public School, moving from 390.4 to 520.6 across the window. In VIC, the headline mover is Holy Rosary School, rising from 430.0 to 506.0.

The list is notable because many of the strongest movers are not the schools that usually dominate prestige-driven parent searches. That is exactly why this page is useful: it highlights sustained upward movement that a single-year ranking would usually hide.

It is also worth noticing how many schools here started from a lower base. That means the page is often telling a “trajectory” story rather than a “top-of-market” story.

NSW — top 25 (Year 5 mean, 2014 → 2025)

#SchoolSuburbSector2014 mean2025 meanΔ (decade)
Islington Public SchoolIslingtonGovernment390.4520.6+130.2
Ardlethan Central SchoolArdlethanGovernment397.4491.6+94.2
Gunning Public SchoolGunningGovernment386.0478.6+92.6
Raleigh Public SchoolRaleighGovernment450.4541.8+91.4
Irfan CollegeCecil ParkIndependent421.8506.0+84.2
Mendooran Central SchoolMendooranGovernment399.8480.2+80.4
Mullaley Public SchoolMullaleyGovernment412.4492.0+79.6
Ashfield Public SchoolAshfieldGovernment493.0568.4+75.4
St Joseph's Primary SchoolCulcairnCatholic402.2474.8+72.6
Galilee Catholic Primary SchoolBondi BeachCatholic498.0566.6+68.6
Australian Christian College - SingletonSingletonIndependent437.8504.4+66.6
Moree East Public SchoolMoreeGovernment330.2396.2+66.0
St Therese's Catholic Primary SchoolDenistoneCatholic487.2552.6+65.4
Carrington Public SchoolCarringtonGovernment421.6486.8+65.2
Border Christian CollegeThurgoonaIndependent449.4512.4+63.0
St Paul of the Cross Catholic Primary SchoolDulwich HillCatholic491.6552.8+61.2
Riverstone Public SchoolRiverstoneGovernment429.0489.6+60.6
St Mel's Catholic Primary SchoolCampsieCatholic489.0549.4+60.4
Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolVillawoodCatholic494.6552.8+58.2
Crown Street Public SchoolSurry HillsGovernment486.4544.2+57.8
Coolah Central SchoolCoolahGovernment413.8470.8+57.0
Kemblawarra Public SchoolPort KemblaGovernment397.8454.0+56.2
Richmond Public SchoolRichmondGovernment503.0558.8+55.8
Batlow Technology SchoolBatlowGovernment426.8482.4+55.6
Goonengerry Public SchoolGoonengerryGovernment472.0527.6+55.6

VIC — top 25 (Year 5 mean, 2014 → 2025)

#SchoolSuburbSector2014 mean2025 meanΔ (decade)
Holy Rosary SchoolHeathcoteCatholic430.0506.0+76.0
St Bernard's SchoolCoburgCatholic474.4548.2+73.8
Warburton Primary SchoolWarburtonGovernment464.2531.6+67.4
Willow Grove Primary SchoolWillow GroveGovernment468.2535.2+67.0
Thomastown East Primary SchoolThomastownGovernment485.0551.2+66.2
St Mary's SchoolMyrtlefordCatholic473.4539.6+66.2
Heyfield Primary SchoolHeyfieldGovernment481.6546.0+64.4
Mount Waverley Heights Primary SchoolMount WaverleyGovernment481.6545.2+63.6
Newhaven Primary SchoolNewhavenGovernment446.6506.2+59.6
Coleraine Primary SchoolColeraineGovernment473.0531.8+58.8
Tyers Primary SchoolTyersGovernment435.8493.2+57.4
Dinjerra Primary SchoolBraybrookGovernment438.6495.8+57.2
Koorlong Primary SchoolKoorlongGovernment488.6545.2+56.6
Anglesea Primary SchoolAngleseaGovernment458.2514.4+56.2
Hesket Primary SchoolHesketGovernment467.2523.2+56.0
St Joseph's SchoolCollingwoodCatholic440.6495.8+55.2
Wheelers Hill Primary SchoolWheelers HillGovernment530.4585.4+55.0
The Knox SchoolWantirna SouthIndependent508.4563.2+54.8
Our Lady's SchoolWangarattaCatholic424.6478.6+54.0
Northside Christian CollegeBundooraIndependent487.8540.0+52.2
Wendouree Primary SchoolWendoureeGovernment454.0505.8+51.8
Yarra Valley GrammarRingwoodIndependent512.8563.2+50.4
Caulfield Primary SchoolCaulfield SouthGovernment494.4543.8+49.4
Bethal Primary SchoolMeadow HeightsGovernment444.0492.8+48.8
Cohuna Consolidated SchoolCohunaGovernment458.0505.8+47.8

What to look for

A school appearing here doesn't mean it is now a top-100 school in absolute terms — many climbed from a low base. The metric is improvement, not level. To see absolute leaders, read Top NAPLAN schools in NSW. To see schools that beat their socio-economic profile (a different signal again), read ICSEA vs NAPLAN.

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Frequently asked questions

Why is a small school appearing on this list with a huge improvement?

The most likely reason is volatility interacting with genuine improvement. A 12-year window filters out a lot of noise, but it does not remove it completely. So a small-school jump should be read as a serious lead, not as a final proof that the school has transformed in every respect.

Why is this list only NSW and VIC?

Mainly because the long-run signal is cleanest there in the current build. NSW and VIC provide the largest, most stable base for this particular decade-style comparison. QLD and WA can be added, but only once the historical comparability is reviewed carefully enough that the list does not overstate precision.

Where does the data come from?

From school-level NAPLAN scores published via ACARA / MySchool. The page uses each school’s Year 5 mean across reading, writing, spelling, grammar and numeracy, then compares the earliest and latest available values in the window.