2025 RISE Impact Report Now Available

THE RIGHT SUPPORT, IN THE RIGHT PLACES, AT THE RIGHT TIME

The Aurora Education Foundation has released insights from the RISE Project, the largest Indigenous-led education evaluation in Australia, which shows that targeted tutoring, cultural engagement, and sustained mentoring significantly improve Indigenous student outcomes from reducing school refusal to boosting confidence and motivation. 

RISE stands for Redefining Indigenous Success in Education and is a five-year initiative to redefine Indigenous student success and strengthen student outcomes through the delivery and evaluation of three distinct high school programs. All programs deliver tutoring at a minimum, with the most intensive program providing a comprehensive set of in-person interactions, including camps, tutoring, engagement days, and Elder and Indigenous mentor support.    

The 2025 RISE Impact Report shows how more in-depth programs that provide targeted funding, tutoring, and ongoing engagement and cultural enrichment activities, reduce school refusal, build academic motivation and confidence, and increase parent and carer involvement in their child’s education.  

The report also shows a clear link between investment and impact, demonstrating that the most intensive programs achieve the strongest gains across academic mindset, school attendance and family engagement. 

Highlights from the Report show that:  

• A modest investment is shifting student mindset. $1,000 per student each semester is linked to a 10% increase in happiness at school and a stronger belief in the value of effort.  

• Attendance and belonging increase with support: Only 17% of students in the most intensive program want to stay home from school at least once or twice a week, compared to 35% in the least intensive. Students in the most supported programs also report stronger feelings of school belonging (47% vs 41%) and confidence in their future (76% vs 59%). 

• Tutoring use reflects both need and motivation: Students who are more motivated and in higher-need areas (particularly in schools with fewer RISE activities or less program uptake) are using tutoring the most, especially in maths. Indigenous students in Year 10 also accessed more than twice as much tutoring on average compared to students in all other year levels. 

• Parent and carer confidence in supporting their child at school significantly increased with more in-depth support. Confidence among parents and carers in engaging with schools rises significantly with more intensive support – up from 53% to 75%. 

Aurora’s CEO, Wiradjuri woman Leila Smith, says: “This year’s RISE Report shows what’s possible when Indigenous students and families are heard, valued and supported. Targeted, culturally grounded support works. We now have the evidence to back what communities have long known, which is that strong relationships, high expectations and systems designed with us can deliver real change. RISE is more than a study. It’s an act of self-determination and a challenge to the education system: to expect Indigenous excellence and enable it.” 

The 2025 RISE Impact Report is available for viewing and download here: https://aurorafoundation.com.au/our-impact/ourpublications/2025-rise-impact-report/

The 2025 RISE Impact Report has been developed by the Aurora Education Foundation as part of the Redefining Indigenous Success in Education (RISE) Project. The RISE Project is funded by the Paul Ramsay Foundation (grant number 5030). Any opinions, findings, or conclusions expressed in the report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Paul Ramsay Foundation.  

RISE is also funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Industry Super Holdings and the National Indigenous Australians Agency, alongside a number of other supporters and donors.

You can learn more about the RISE Project here: https://aurorafoundation.com.au/our-work/rise/