The National Report on Schooling in Australia 2013 is the twenty-fifth annual report on Australia’s school education sector. It has been produced by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) on behalf of the Education Council.

The report highlights progress in 2013 towards the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians agreed by Australian education ministers in 2008, and on Council of Australian Governments (COAG) initiatives for school education through the National Education Agreement (NEA).

The National Report on Schooling in Australia addresses the eight areas of commitment to action specified in the Melbourne Declaration. It describes the national policy and reporting context for school education in Australia, outlines nationally agreed policy initiatives, and reports against the nationally agreed key performance measures for schooling including enrolment, attendance, student achievement in national assessments and transitions to further education and work. These include key performance measures reflecting the educational goals for young Australians and measures reflecting COAG targets and indicators drawn from the performance reporting framework of the NEA.

Under the NEA, which came into effect in January 2009 ², the Australian state, territory and federal governments agreed to streamlined and consistent reports on national progress, including the continued publication of an annual national report on the outcomes of schooling in Australia.

A variety of other statistical information on Australian schooling in 2013 and for the five-year period 2009–2013 is included in the Additional statistics tables.

This is the fifth annual National Report on Schooling in Australia to address the Melbourne Declaration and the NEA, and the fifth edition to be compiled by ACARA as required under its charter.