Children who experience out-of-home care (OOHC) often have low academic achievement which subsequently negatively affects their adult life outcomes, yet a smaller proportion succeed in spite of adversity. Scant research has examined the trajectories of children who achieve well in school and factors associated with positive educational outcomes. The study included 325 children from the Pathways of Care Longitudinal Study (POCLS) in New South Wales, Australia.

The objectives of this paper were to: 

1. Describe the reading trajectories from Year 3 to Year 7 of school of children who experienced OOHC, with a focus on higher achievement and improving trajectories.
2. Identify child, carer and placement characteristics plus supports and services associated with positive reading trajectories among children who have experienced OOHC. 

Group based trajectory modeling (GBTM) revealed three reading trajectories among non-Aboriginal children, and two among Aboriginal children. A high achieving group (12% of non-Aboriginal children) were the only trajectory group to maintain their level of achievement across the study. Improving achievement was rare, while falling behind over time was common across achievement levels. 

The results point to the need for early intervention supporting school readiness and catch-up growth, with ongoing interventions for children who experience OOHC to prevent declining student outcomes across achievement levels and extend talented students.