The Determinants of Academic Achievement Among Primary School Students A Case Study of the Australian Capital Territory

Abstract

This paper uses a unique opportunity of access to unit record data held by the ACT Education and Training Directorate to estimate the determinants of outcomes for primary students in the NAPLAN reading and numeracy tests. The results show that individual characteristics such as gender, educational background of parents, Indigeneity and non-English speaking background have a significant influence on outcomes. The average level of socio-economic advantage of the school and the size of the school were also important. The results add to our existing knowledge of the determinants of academic achievement at the primary level in Australia.