What percentage score is considered a ‘Band 10’ in NAPLAN?

NAPLAN, the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy, uses a band scale to report student performance. As a general guideline, a Band 10 in NAPLAN typically represents the highest level of achievement, indicating that a student has demonstrated a very high level of proficiency in the assessed skills.

The specific percentage score associated with a Band 10 in NAPLAN can vary slightly from year to year and across different test components (e.g., reading, writing, language conventions, numeracy). To provide an approximation, a Band 10 score in NAPLAN is often considered to be around the 90th percentile or higher. This means that a student in Band 10 has performed at or above the top 10% of students who took the NAPLAN test in that particular year and subject. 

It’s important to note that there are many misconceptions about NAPLAN testing. NAPLAN results should be interpreted in conjunction with other factors, such as school and classroom assessments, as they provide just a snapshot of student performance in specific testing areas.