Lifting student wellbeing and academic results have been highlighted as key areas needing improvement.

Its review of the National School Reform Agreement said almost 90,000 students each year failed to meet minimum NAPLAN reading or numeracy standards.

Indigenous students are three times more likely to fall behind at school, the report found, as are those with parents who have lower levels of education.

Commissioner Natalie Siegel-Brown said teacher shortages meant they often had to teach subjects they were not trained for.

She recommended governments commit to firm targets in order to lift results.

“Targets do not guarantee success but they create a clear direction for reform and make governments accountable,” she said.

The commissioner said a lack of data for students in regional and remote areas, as well as those with a disability and from disadvantaged backgrounds, meant states and territories weren’t being held accountable.

The federal government is working to address teacher shortages in rural areas by offering to scrap student debt for teachers who spend four years teaching in a remote community.

It is expected to save teachers an average of $35,000, with up to 2000 people able to immediately benefit.

An additional 500 extra teachers are expected to become eligible each year.

-AAP