By Megan Gilmour
For the third consecutive year, NAPLAN results have delivered a worrying headline: one in three Australian students is not meeting basic benchmarks in literacy and numeracy.
But the real story isn’t what the scores show, but in who they leave out.
Beneath every ‘achievement’ statistic lies the conspicuously unaddressed problem of chronic school absence. Around 1.65 million Australian children — 40% of the school population – may lose years to broken attendance. Some face medical or mental health challenges; others are dealing with trauma, family disruptions, or schools that never felt safe.
Despite governments’ $16 billion investment to boost academic results, we’re still overlooking simple structural barriers that prevent goodness-knows-how-many kids from even getting to class.
How can we measure academic outcomes without first measuring access to education? Acting on Australia’s clear evidence is the place to start.
A 2022 study of nearly 400,000 NSW students found that 16-18% had been hospitalised with a chronic condition before sitting NAPLAN, and 30-60% had a greater risk of not meeting national academic benchmarks. Another local study revealed that such students could miss over 40 days of school but receive less than two days of learning support.
Chronic absence erodes student belonging, confidence, and opportunity. Meanwhile, the cost of incomplete education leads to nearly $1 million in lost opportunity per student over their lifetime, driving a potential $1.7 trillion national loss over the working life of today’s 13-year school cohort.
At MissingSchool, our work with chronically absent students tells us that continuing access to school via telepresence technology helps around 50% of these students return to regular attendance.
One student missed 246 days over two years. But through classroom telepresence, he attended every lesson in real time, engaged with peers, and caught up. Now he’s achieving a B-average, in demonstration of Education Minister Clare’s “catch up, keep up and finish school.”
This part of the achievement gap is fixable by cross-matching NAPLAN results with student attendance, and intervening early with systems flexible enough to keep students learning, even when they can’t physically be in the classroom.
Let’s stop ignoring the obvious barriers behind the results. NAPLAN isn’t just testing ability; it’s also testing access. School achievement without school access is impossible.
Let’s give every child the chance to show up and the support to succeed when they do.
About Megan Gilmour, Founder and CEO of MissingSchool:
Megan Gilmour is the Founder and CEO of MissingSchool, an innovative charity addressing educational isolation experienced by children with chronic health conditions. Megan’s advocacy began following her son’s battle with a life-threatening illness, sparking her commitment to transforming educational access nationwide.
Through MissingSchool, Megan champions the use of telepresence technology, ensuring students remain connected to their classrooms and communities regardless of health challenges. Her leadership and persistent advocacy have positioned MissingSchool at the forefront of educational reform, driving crucial policy conversations and legislative change to support vulnerable students across Australia. Named the 2025 ACT Australian of the Year, Gilmour is also a Churchill Policy and Deakin University Honorary Fellow.