New data shows there's been a noticeable surge in high school students passing NCEA numeracy and literacy assessments.

Latest results show 57 percent achieved the maths standard across all year levels in May this year, up from 45 percent in the same month last year.

61 percent met the reading standard for all year levels - up from 58 percent.

Education Minister Erica Stanford says she's 'proud' to see that achievement rates have gone up.

"We've turned the corner, we have a relentless focus on achievement, on literacy and numeracy an hour a day - the clear curriculum, the standard teaching practices and all those resources we're putting in - we're now starting to see these results improving."

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