National

Pallavi Singhal

Reporter and social media assistant at The Sydney Morning Herald

Girls are better at literacy and reading from the age of four but boys aren't any better at maths until they turn eight.

Why only some boys are better at maths

Girls are better at literacy from the age of 4 but boys aren't any better at maths until the age of 8, according to a new study of NAPLAN data that has major implications for parents and teachers.

Private school students were nearly 24 per cent more likely to go to university than government school students in 2016.

The high school students most likely to go to university

Girls who finished year 12 at a private school are most likely to go to university, as the gap between independent, Catholic and government school students who go on to higher education widens to its highest level in recent years.