Hurstville Public School has been named as a top improver in state NAPLAN results. Picture supplied

Hurstville Public School has secured its place among the top-tier improvers in NSW following a glowing commendation from the Department of Education regarding its 2025 NAPLAN results.

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The school distinguished itself by achieving the highest average proportion of students making above-average progress across three key domains when compared to peers from similar backgrounds.

The department specifically highlighted the school's commitment to High Potential and Gifted Education pathways, which provide tailored challenges for its diverse student body.

Principal Mark Steed attributes this success to a "bedrock" of community trust and a relentless focus on the evolution of teaching methods.

"The secret formula into our achieving comes down to a couple of things," Mr Steed said, noting that the school's 1052 students are purposefully engaged while staff act as lifelong learners who continually reflect on and grow their own practice.

He said the goal extends beyond mere grades: "It's not just educational outcomes, but life outcomes for kids."

A significant catalyst for the recent surge in results has been a targeted, explicit framework for language instruction. Mr Steed said the school has seen a surge forward in how students master both vocabulary and the architectural understanding of language.

"Using language in context has been a big leap forward for us," he said. "Our results in writing are improving and it's an area we are targeting. What we're looking at is how talk translates into strong structures in writing," he said.

With 50 nationalities represented on campus, the school has also moved beyond traditional diversity metrics toward a more profound philosophy of "cultural humility." Mr Steed described this as a journey of understanding specific barriers for each culture to ensure opportunities are framed the right way for every child.

This inclusive academic drive is balanced by a holistic focus on student health. "We are proactively catering for the wellbeing needs of students to support positive engagement with learning," Mr Steed said.

Hurstville Public School was named a top improver in the state's latest NAPLAN data. Picture supplied