MySchool: How some of WA’s diverse public schools compare with the State’s most expensive private schools

Students at top public schools are achieving similar or better reading and numeracy results than their peers at Perth’s most expensive private schools, which are charging upwards of $30,000 a year. Data released by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority also shows that many of Perth’s diverse public schools, closer to the average level of socio-economic advantage, are also punching above their weight. Many also achieved above average or well above-average improvements in their Year 9 NAPLAN reading and numeracy tests, when compared with the progress of students with the same starting score and similar backgrounds. The West compared Year 9 NAPLAN results of a dozen private schools with those of 11 public schools, where a proportion of students are selected for academic ability, and a sample of diverse public schools with close to an average level of socio-educational advantage . WA’s only fully-selective public school, Perth Modern, had the highest average scores in WA for Year 9 reading and numeracy, with 691 and 758 respectively. Private girls’ schools Methodist Ladies’ College and Perth College took the next couple of places for reading with scores of 644 and 633. Public performing arts school John Curtin College of the Arts, in Fremantle, tied with three private schools for fourth position with an average reading score of 631. In numeracy, Christ Church, Hale and MLC were the top three performers after Perth Modern, with public school Willetton Senior High in fifth place with 660. Public schools in Harrisdale and Duncraig returned slightly higher scores than private co-ed school, Guildford Grammar. More than half to two-thirds of Year 9 students who sat NAPLAN tests at these schools made above average progress on their previous results. WA parents can see individual school’s results by logging onto the MySchool website. For the first time in several years, this year’s update includes data on students’ progress from Year 3 to 5 or from Year 7 to 9. The reporting methods for this data changed in 2023. The West’s comparison focused on Year 9, as it is the culmination of NAPLAN testing, with high-performing students excused from sitting later literacy and numeracy tests linked to high school graduation. NAPLAN tests are also set for Years 3, 5 and 7. Reading and numeracy are considered the most important of the five domains assessed by NAPLAN. The others are writing, spelling and grammar. The MySchool website shows scores on a single scale, from Years 3 to 9. The midpoint of each domain scale is set at 500 points. High fees, school intake boundaries, transport logistics or selection criteria put the more exclusive schools out of the reach of the majority of WA parents making decisions about their children’s schooling. A sample of WA’s diverse public schools, selected by The West because they have close to an average level of socio-educational advantage, also show a significant level of student improvement — on par with some of the State’s more expensive and selective schools. Morley Senior High School, in Noranda, achieved average scores of 579 and 588 for reading and numeracy respectively, with 66 per cent of Year 9 students achieving a well-above average improvement in reading compared to the progress of students with the same starting score and a similar background. Warwick Senior High School achieved an above-average numeracy score of 573 when compared with similar schools, with 62 per cent of Year 9 students achieving above-average progress. The school’s Year 9s also achieved a score of 561 for reading. WA Secondary School Executives Association president Melissa Gillett said a school’s post code played a huge role in student achievement. About 80 per cent of the differences in NAPLAN scores were accounted for by the socio-economic status of the school community, she said, so ranking schools based on their scores was “not in the public interest”. “It doesn’t acknowledge that schools are achieving progress in the education of their students,” Ms Gillett said. “A better focus would be on showing the improvement that kids have made, rather than just saying this is where they’re at.” MLC principal Rebecca Clarke, who is also chairwoman of the the WA branch of the Association of Heads of Independent Schools Australia, said independent schools were focused on student growth. “We feel it’s unhealthy to compare schools against each other, and we would much prefer to focus on the conditions we need internally to foster growth of each individual within our school,” she said. Schools such as Willetton, Shenton and Rossmoyne select a small cohort of students based on their scores in an academic entry exam, and have been in high demand for many years. Families will buy houses in their catchment areas to ensure their children can attend their chosen school.