John Henry Primary is a government co-ed school in Pakenham with a strong focus on STEAM learning and numeracy through its Maths Rangers program.
NAPLAN 21 points below national year-level averages and growth above the national median; the result is a B overall.
John Henry Primary is a government co-ed school in Pakenham with a strong focus on STEAM learning and numeracy through its Maths Rangers program. The school is known for its performing arts, supported by a progressive, inquiry-led approach to teaching. It has built a tight-knit community where families are actively engaged in school life.
John Henry Primary School is also known as JHPS, JHPS Pakenham and John Henry PS.
John Henry Primary School draws students from the John Henry Primary School.
John Henry Primary School has an overall SchoolRank score of 50.8/100, rated "Average". This score is calculated from academic results, student growth, wellbeing, extracurricular programs, and value for money. Academically, the school scores 46/100, indicating developing performance relative to other Australian schools. The school's ICSEA (Index of Community Socio-Educational Advantage) is 1020, above the national average of 1,000. Notably, the school shows strong student growth over time (79/100), meaning students tend to improve well regardless of their starting point.
In 2025 NAPLAN testing at John Henry Primary School, Year 3 students averaged 370 across the tested NAPLAN domains, below the national average of 407 for that year level, and Year 5 students averaged 484, in line with the national average of 490 for that year level. National averages are specific to each year level, because NAPLAN scores are scaled so older year levels score higher, a school-wide average can't be compared with a single national figure.
John Henry Primary School is a medium-sized government primary school with approximately 981 students. It offers education for years Prep-6. As a government school, enrolment is generally available to students living within the school's designated catchment zone. Families outside the zone may apply for out-of-area placement subject to availability.
John Henry Primary School is a government school, so there are no tuition fees. Families may be asked to contribute to voluntary school fees covering materials, excursions, and activities. The school has a value score of 48/100 on SchoolRank, which compares educational outcomes relative to cost, government schools typically score well on this measure.
John Henry Primary School has a student-to-teacher ratio of 15.7:1. This is around the national average of approximately 14:1, meaning class sizes are typical for Australian schools. Support staff make up 36% of the workforce, providing additional learning assistance and pastoral care. The student attendance rate is 88%, which is moderate.
John Henry Primary School is located in Pakenham, VIC, classified as a major cities school. With an ICSEA of 1020 (56th percentile), the school community's socio-educational advantage is around the national average. ICSEA measures the educational advantage of a school's community, not the school's quality, a lower ICSEA school with strong academic scores may indicate particularly effective teaching.