A Herald analysis of NAPLAN results from 2023 to 2025 has identified the top 160 high schools demonstrating significant growth in maths and literacy. Ingleburn High School achieved the largest literacy gains among similarly advantaged schools by implementing an explicit direct instruction framework with lessons broken into two-minute intervals to maintain student engagement. Other schools like Marist College North Shore and Our Lady of Mercy College, Parramatta, also showed strong numeracy gains through structured teaching methods and clear learning intentions. St Andrew's Cathedral School recorded the most significant overall improvement, particularly in writing, by adopting a formal, interdisciplinary approach that includes subject-specific writing scaffolds and vocabulary development.