BCE schools achieving above national growth in latest NAPLAN results

Three Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) primary schools are making learning gains at a rate that is exceeding national trends, with the latest NAPLAN results highlighting strong academic performance and sustained growth.

Take a look at how St Ignatius School, Toowong, St Dympna’s Primary School, Aspley, and Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Sunnybank are strengthening student learning through evidence-informed teaching practices and a sustained focus on continuous improvement.

St Ignatius School, Toowong

St Ignatius School, Toowong students have continued to deliver outstanding NAPLAN results, performing well above national benchmarks across all assessed domains.

The latest NAPLAN reporting highlights sustained excellence in both Literacy and Numeracy, with students demonstrating strong academic growth and consistently high achievement levels. 

Of these, Grammar and Punctuation saw 63 per cent of students achieve the highest ‘Exceeding’ proficiency level.

These exceptional outcomes place the cohort almost 130 scale score points above the national average in Grammar and Punctuation, underscoring the strength of teaching and learning at St Ignatius and the school's commitment to academic excellence.

St Ignatius School Assistant Principal Religious Education Susan Suter said NAPLAN results continued to reflect the strong professional learning undertaken by staff to grow students’ literacy and numeracy skills from Prep to Year 6. 

“At St Ignatius School every teacher of every class shares the responsibility to grow student literacy and numeracy skills,” she said.

“Daily review activities, teacher guidance, and opportunities for students to learn from one another are helping to build confidence in reading, writing, and mathematics.

“Most importantly, we're helping students understand what they're learning, why it matters and how they can continue to improve. 

“These are skills that support success at school and develop a lifelong love of learning.”

St Ignatius School Primary Learning Leader Anne Tredenick said the results were encouraging for her school. 

“Results show students are achieving strongly against schools with comparable demographic and educational profiles, reinforcing the effectiveness of teaching and learning programs across our school,” she said.

“We're incredibly proud of our students and the effort they put into their learning every day, and we're excited to see their continued growth and success over the coming years.”

St Dympna’s Primary School, Aspley

St Dympna’s Primary School has recorded outstanding NAPLAN results, with more students achieving at the highest proficiency level and strong growth across literacy and numeracy, highlighting the school’s sustained focus on academic excellence.

Year 3 students continued their upward trajectory in 2026, with strong results across all literacy domains while building on already impressive numeracy performance. 

The proportion of Year 3 students achieving at the Exceeding proficiency level has risen significantly since 2024, increasing 13 per cent in Reading, 8 per cent in Writing, and 6 per cent in Grammar and Punctuation. 2026 Data shows between 73 and 88% of students achieving in the top two bands across these literacy domains.

The strong results continued into Year 5, with students recording growth rates above the national average across every NAPLAN domain. Reading emerged as a standout area, with more than a third of students achieving at the Exceeding proficiency level in Reading Comprehension. The results reflect the school’s sustained investment in literacy achievement and its commitment to ensuring every student makes measurable academic progress.

St Dympna’s Primary School Principal Peter Surawski said the success reflected the school’s clear focus on its Explicit Improvement Agenda, which strengthens teaching through evidence-informed practice, professional learning, collaborative planning, and the effective use of student data. 

“Our teachers work together to monitor student progress and tailor learning to ensure every child receives the right support and challenge,” he said.

“Setting high expectation of our learners has also helped students continue to build their Literacy and Numeracy skills, resulting in significant improvements across Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation, and Numeracy.”

Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Sunnybank

At Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Sunnybank, students have continued to achieve strong NAPLAN outcomes, with Year 5 students demonstrating substantial growth across all literacy and numeracy domains. Student growth exceeded national average growth rates in every area assessed, highlighting the significant progress students are making throughout their learning journey.

Year 3 students also continued to perform well above national averages, with 89 percent demonstrating Strong or Exceeding proficiency in Reading and 97% of students demonstrating Strong or Exceeding proficiency in Writing. 

Primary Learning Leader Breanna Brosteanu said the school's emphasis on connecting reading and writing, combined with explicit teaching of Grammar, Punctuation, vocabulary and sentence structure, had contributed to significant literacy growth.

“Grammar and Punctuation was the strongest growth area for consecutive Year 3 to Year 5 cohorts, highlighting the impact of the school's sustained and strategic focus on language development and explicit teaching” she said.

“Students are also being encouraged to write for enjoyment and authentic audiences through the school's Let's Write initiative, which includes writing challenges, celebrations and opportunities to share their work with peers.

“The strong NAPLAN outcomes reflect more than improved test scores, they demonstrate a school culture where reading, writing, and learning are valued, celebrated and enjoyed every day, and most importantly, where our students are thriving.”

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Image caption: (From left to right) Year 5 student Luca, St Ignatius School Assistant Principal Religious Education Susan Suter, Year 5 stidents Bpbby and Ari, and Year 2 student George. ©Brisbane Catholic Education, St Ignatius School, Toowong (2026).