Education leaders are calling for school league tables published in mainstream media based on NAPLAN results to be reconsidered, warning that such rankings can be misleading, harmful, and not in the public interest.
In an open letter published in newspapers, 41 signatories representing education unions, principal associations, state and territory peak bodies, sector leaders and academics urged more responsible reporting.
It comes after a major media outlet published league tables in its publications.
They argue that crude tables built from NAPLAN scores strip away essential context and misrepresent the complex work of schools, harming students, teachers and communities.
These rankings, they say, fail to show progress, ignore diversity, and reduce education to a simplistic competition.
The letter stresses that responsible use of data can support improvement, celebrate real achievement and guide resource allocation. It calls on media outlets to prioritise deeper, more constructive storytelling that enhances community understanding rather than reducing schools to a single number.
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) CEO Mr Stephen Gniel said the collective stance of teachers, principals, experts and parent groups must be heeded by media organisations.
“ACARA has long discouraged the use of data from our My School website to create and publish league tables. They are misleading for parents and carers as it doesn’t tell the full picture of a school,” he said.
“It’s also disrespectful to our hard-working teachers, principals and young people who deserve better – especially in those areas of significant socio-educational disadvantage.”
Mr Gniel stressed that the My School website remains the only place offering a comprehensive picture of every Australian school, providing richer insights that should be complemented by visiting the school itself.
Ms Correna Haythorpe, Australian Education Union (AEU) Federal President, said publishing league tables is “irresponsible and harmful”, unfairly stigmatising schools and communities already facing disadvantage.
“Reducing their efforts to a single number is not only misleading, it is demoralising for teachers and damaging for school communities,” she said.
“NAPLAN data was never designed to be weaponised into league tables. When misused in this way, it distorts public understanding and undermines confidence in our public education system.”
Principals: Rankings ignore real work in schools
Australian Secondary Principals’ Association (ASPA) President Mr Andy Mison said league tables fail to reflect how schools support struggling students, build resilience or prepare young people for life beyond the classroom.
“Every year, dedicated educators watch their schools reduced to a simplistic ranking that ignores context, progress, and the realities of the communities they serve,” he said. “It’s demoralising and fundamentally unfair.”
Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) President Ms Angela Falkenberg said responsible reporting should “illuminate, not reduce”, urging the media to focus on real stories of growth and innovation.
“League tables are not in the public interest. Crude rankings offer heat, not light,” she said.
She warned that comparisons without context risk overlooking the real work schools do: “Fair comparisons require understanding the context each school serves.”
Professor Pasi Sahlberg from the University of Melbourne said standardised tests like NAPLAN are poor indicators of school quality, with most variation in scores driven by factors outside the school’s control.
“Socio-economic background, family resources and broader community conditions explain much of the difference,” he said.
The open letter closes with a united message: responsible reporting must reflect the complexity of education, avoid simplistic rankings and prioritise student and community wellbeing over sensationalism.
