NAPLAN in the Territory, kept in proportion.

NAPLAN runs every year in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9, and the test is identical whether your child is in Darwin, Alice Springs or Adelaide.^[1] What's different for Territory families is the timing around middle school, and how often a NAPLAN report gets asked for later on.

When it happens

NAPLAN is held in March, early in Term 1. In 2026 the national test window ran from Wednesday 11 March to Monday 23 March.^[2] Writing comes first, then reading, conventions of language and numeracy.

Almost everything is done online. The exception is Year 3 writing, which is still on paper.^[2]

The four tests

Results come back as one of four levels: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support.^[1]

Year 7: NAPLAN in your first term of middle school

In the NT, Year 7 is the first year of middle school.^[3] That means Year 7 NAPLAN lands only a few weeks after your child has walked into a new school, with new teachers, new timetables and probably a new group of friends.

Two things help. Firstly, the Year 7 test mostly checks skills built in Years 5 and 6, so time spent on those over the last year of primary pays off. Secondly, because the test is online, a bit of practice with the screen layout takes away one source of first-term nerves.

Why NAPLAN reports matter a little more here

Hang on to your child's NAPLAN reports. In the Territory, some school scholarships ask for them instead of setting a test. Haileybury Rendall School, for example, asks for the Year 3 NAPLAN report with applications for its Year 5 scholarship, and the Year 9 report for Year 10.^[5][6] Our scholarships guide has more.

About the Territory's averages

Each year ACARA publishes results by state and territory, and the NT's averages are usually the lowest in the country.^[4] That's worth reading carefully. The Territory has many very remote schools and many children learning English as an additional language, and a Territory-wide average says very little about how one Darwin or Katherine classroom is going, let alone your child.

Your child's own report, and their school reports, are far better guides than any average.

Preparing without the stress

• Keep it small. Ten to twenty minutes of regular practice beats a cram in February.
• Practise writing to a clock. Writing is the test children find hardest to pace. A few timed pieces with a plan at the start make a real difference.
• Read together, then talk. Questions like "how do you know?" build exactly the kind of reading NAPLAN checks.
• Try the format once or twice. A practice test on screen means nothing on the day is a surprise.

For the national detail, see our longer guides to NAPLAN and NAPLAN writing.