The number of children meeting the national standards in reading, writing and maths increased slightly last year.
A student at Linwood Primary School. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson
Figures published today show pass rates have climbed above 80 percent for reading in some regions.
Seventy-eight percent of primary and intermediate school children met the reading standard for their age group last year.
The rate for maths was 75.2 percent and for writing 71.1 percent.
Those numbers are between 0.1 and 0.6 of a percentage point better than in 2013.
Otago had the highest pass rates, while Northland and Gisborne had the lowest.
However, a government-commissioned report last month warned the results lack dependability and education leaders have been saying changes in the figures probably reflect changes in teachers' understanding of the standards.
