SOME Dubbo schools are performing below the Australian average in key learning areas, figures from the My School website show.
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But local schools were, in many cases, on par with or outperforming statistically similar schools, figures from the 2015 National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) show.
The 2015 NAPLAN assessed all year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students in Australian schools in the categories of reading, persuasive writing, spelling, grammar and punctuation and numeracy.
The My School website compared schools with both the Australian average and with statistically similar schools, so named because they took into account students' family backgrounds, the school's geographical location and the proportion of Indigenous students in an effort to make "fair, meaningful comparisons".
When it came to Dubbo's government secondary schools, Dubbo College South Campus performed below or substantially below average in all year 7 and 9 categories, but average or above average among similar schools.
Dubbo College Delroy Campus performed substantially below average in every year 7 and 9 category and at average level among similar schools in all those categories.
When it came to government primary schools, Dubbo Public School performed average or below average across all five learning areas in year 3 and 5.
While Buninyong Public School performed at an average to substantially above average level among similar schools in all year 3 and 5 categories, when compared with all Australian schools it performed below average or substantially below average in every category.
Dubbo North Public School performed below or substantially below average for all year 3 and 5 categories, but average to substantially above average for similar schools in all bar one year 5 category (persuasive writing).
Dubbo South Public School performed below or substantially below average for all year 3 and 5 categories but above average for similar schools in year 5 reading.
Dubbo West Public School performed below average or substantially below average for all year 3 and 5 categories except year 5 spelling, which was above average. In relation to similar schools, it performed above or substantially above average in all categories bar year 3 numeracy, which was average.
Orana Heights Public School performed below average or substantially below average in all year 3 and 5 categories, but average or above average among similar schools in all of the categories.
"NAPLAN is just one set of information that parents should consider when choosing a school for their child and it is recommended that parents talk to principals about how schools will meet their child's needs."
- A Department of Education spokesperson
Meanwhile, Dubbo School of Distance Education performed below or substantially below the average of all schools in year 3 persuasive writing, all year 5 categories, year 7 persuasive writing, spelling and grammar and punctuation and year 9 persuasive writing and numeracy.
The school did, however, perform above or substantially above average in all year 3 categories, year 7 reading and numeracy and year 9 reading, spelling and grammar and punctuation when compared with similar schools.
In terms of non-government primary schools, St Pius X Primary School performed at average or better in all year 3 and 5 categories bar persuasive writing and grammar and punctuation, where it performed below the Australian average.
St John's Primary School performed average or above average in all year 3 categories and average in all year 5 categories.
St Mary's Primary School performed average or above average in all year 3 and 5 categories, and substantially above the Australian average in year 3 persuasive writing.
St Laurence's Primary School performed below or substantially below average in all year 5 categories and average in all year 3 categories except spelling, which was below the Australian average and numeracy, which was above average among similar schools.
Dubbo Christian School performed average or better among all schools and among similar schools for all year 3, 5, 7 and 9 categories except for year 7 persuasive writing, which was below average for all schools and all similar schools.
Macquarie Anglican Grammar School performed average or better in all year 3, 5, 7 and 9 categories with the exception of year 5 persuasive writing, which was below average for similar schools. The school performed substantially above the national average in all year 3 categories bar persuasive writing.
St John's College performed average among all and similar schools in all year 7 and 9 categories.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA), who compiled and published the My School website, singled out some schools as having substantially above average gains between tests, including some in western NSW.
St Joseph's School in Walgett showed substantially above average gain in NAPLAN results from year 3 to year 5 in reading and Lightning Ridge Central School showed substantially above average gain in NAPLAN results from year 7 to year 9 in reading.
Some school results did not appear because of "privacy reasons" or because of an "insufficient proportion of data records". Dubbo College Senior Campus was not included because it had no students in the assessed year groups.
A Department of Education spokesperson said Dubbo public schools thoroughly analysed individual students' NAPLAN results and used them with other data to target teaching, foster growth and individual improvement in students' educational outcomes and life opportunities.
"The data also informs Dubbo public schools' continual commitment to improvement and quality teaching," he said.
"NAPLAN is just one set of information that parents should consider when choosing a school for their child and it is recommended that parents talk to principals about how schools will meet their child's needs."