That’s the headline from the 2026 NAPLAN results, released by ACARA last month, and the results highlight significant and persistent disparities across Australia.

In remote areas, more than half of Year 3 students are below proficiency in reading and numeracy. In very remote areas, this rises to more than three in four. For Indigenous Year 3 students, three in five are below proficiency in reading.

Research also shows how important the early years are. Students experiencing difficulties with literacy in the first years of school are more likely to continue experiencing them in later years.

This is why early intervention matters. When children have access to strong language and literacy foundations early, we can create more opportunities for them to learn, communicate and participate with confidence.

At ALNF, we work alongside communities to strengthen language, literacy and communication skills through innovative, evidence-based programs that respond to local strengths, priorities and needs.

The data is sobering, but it also reinforces why this work matters. We believe literacy is freedom: the freedom to access education, participate in society, express ideas and have a voice.

By investing early and working in partnership with communities, we can help build strong foundations for learning and opportunity.

*Source: Education Today, “Making Sense of the 2026 Aggregated NAPLAN Data” (Serry & Monteleone) (Linked: https://www.educationtoday.com.au/news-detail/Making-Sense-of-the–6856 )