Figure CNF3.1 shows the average numeracy scores of this group and of grade three students in Papua New Guinea in previous PILNA cycles. The score in 2021 (483.42) was lower than the PILNA cycle in 2018 (502.42) but the standard deviation was similar to it (2018 SD = 56.43). This means that the distribution of overall numeracy scores in 2021 was comparable to 2018.

Standard deviation shows how close data points are to the average. A lower standard deviation means that data points are, overall, closer to the average; a higher standard deviation means that data points are, overall, further away from the average.