NAPLAN 2027 dates: test window and when results are expected

The 2027 test window

The window starts on Wednesday 10 March 2027 and finishes on Monday 22 March 2027. It is 9 school days: Wednesday 10, Thursday 11 and Friday 12 March, then Monday 15 to Friday 19 March, and finally Monday 22 March.

ACARA says the window is long to suit schools that may not be able to finish in a shorter time. Schools must schedule the tests as soon as possible within it, prioritising the first week.

Your school sets the timetable within the window, so ask it for the days.

What must happen on day 1

Writing is first. Year 3 writing is on paper and must be on day 1. For Years 5, 7 and 9, writing must start on day 1, and day 2 is only used where there are technical or logistical limitations. ACARA says camps, excursions, school sport and carnivals are not logistical limitations. Reading, conventions of language and numeracy follow, in that order. See test format and timetable for minutes by year level.

Eid al-Fitr in 2027

ACARA says the 2027 window coincides with the end of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, which it gives as about 10 March 2027 (approximate, because it depends on the moon). That is day 1, when writing starts. Schools planning to close for Eid must consult their test administration authority before they finalise the timetable, and schools can arrange catch-up sessions, where possible, for students away because they are observing Eid. ACARA's guidance is on its Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr and NAPLAN page. If this affects your child, talk to the school early.

Missed tests and catch-ups

If a Year 3 child misses the writing test, the school may arrange an individual catch-up from day 2 until the end of day 4, Monday 15 March 2027. The school chooses the day. Catch-ups for every other test can run until the end of Monday 22 March 2027. A catch-up is not available once a student has started a test.

Key dates

The widget below lists the dates we track. "Confirmed" means ACARA has published it. "Expected" means ACARA has not confirmed the date: either it follows the pattern of earlier years, or ACARA lists it as indicative or to be confirmed.

Results dates are expected

For 2026, ACARA listed preliminary reports to schools in April, final reports from mid-June, individual student reports from the start of Term 3, and released national results on 5 August 2026. ACARA's last four national releases were all Wednesdays, between 30 July and 23 August (23 August 2023, 14 August 2024, 30 July 2025 and 5 August 2026). For 2027 ACARA has not published a date, so we show a month window: national results are expected in August 2027. The report timing below is expected to follow the same pattern. State and territory authorities set the timing of individual reports, so it can differ where you live.

Later years

The NAP site also lists the 2028 window as 15 to 27 March and the 2029 window as 14 to 26 March.

Checked against the NAP and ACARA sites on 7 October 2026.

Attribution: © Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) 2011 to present, unless otherwise indicated. This material was downloaded from the National Assessment Program website (www.nap.edu.au) (accessed 7 October 2026) and was modified. The material is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). ACARA does not endorse any product that uses ACARA material or make any representations as to the quality of such products. Any product that uses ACARA's material should not be taken to be affiliated with ACARA or have the sponsorship or approval of ACARA. It is up to each person to make their own assessment of the product.