St Paul the Apostle Catholic Primary School

Doreen, VIC

St Paul the Apostle Catholic Primary School — Doreen (short family briefing)

1) Suburb socio‑economic profile

- Doreen is a young, family‑oriented growth suburb (median age 33) with many couples-with-children households and a high share of owner‑occupied family homes. Median weekly household income is comparatively high (~$2,151/week), putting the area in a comfortable/middle‑to‑affluent family bracket overall citation:2021 Doreen QuickStats citation:Doreen suburb profile.

2) Most common foreign country of birth

- Most residents (about 77.6%) were born in Australia; the largest overseas birthplace is India (~3.9% of residents) — no single large overseas group dominates the suburb citation:Doreen suburb profile citation:2021 Doreen QuickStats.

3) Working‑parent support (OSHC)

- The school offers OSHC through Camp Australia (before school, after school and holiday programs); families register with Camp Australia for bookings and fees citation:St Paul the Apostle OSHC page citation:Camp Australia school listing.

4) School culture / extracurriculars

- Performing Arts program (weekly music/dance/drama specialist lessons for Prep–Year 6) citation:Performing Arts at SPA.

- Active school sport program including playground/multi‑sport facilities and inter‑school/team sport (school has organised netball teams — the "Doreen Saints" are cited as a new netball team started at the school) citation:Our new play areas / sport at SPA citation:Parliament Hansard mention of Doreen Saints.

5) Suburb vibe and groceries (2 sentences)

- Doreen / Laurimar is a family‑focused, new‑housing growth area with many parks, playgrounds and community reserves (e.g., Laurimar Recreation Reserve) making it convenient for young families citation:Laurimar Recreation Reserve citation:Doreen family guide.

- Main grocery options include a Woolworths at Laurimar (local supermarket) and other local grocery/town‑centre shops serving everyday needs citation:Woolworths Laurimar store.

6) Weeknight dining (family takeaway / casual)

- Laurimar Pizza (wood‑fired pizza/pasta) — local family pizza takeaway/dine‑in citation:Laurimar Pizza.

- Julia’s Doreen — family‑friendly Italian / pizza restaurant in Laurimar citation:Julia’s Doreen.

- Local takeaway options (fish & chips, bakery/counter‑style outlets) listed in local directories (e.g., town‑centre take‑away listings) citation:Local take‑away listings for Doreen.

7) Tuition and enrichment (nearby centres)

- Kumon Laurimar (maths & English tuition centre serving Doreen/Laurimar) citation:Kumon Laurimar centre.

- Local private tutors and on‑demand tutoring services operate in Doreen (e.g., Tutors Australia matches in‑home and online tutors for Prep–VCE) citation:Tutors Australia Doreen tutors.

8) Commute (to Melbourne CBD) — realistic option substitution: bus + train

- Doreen does not have a metro train station; residents typically take a local bus to Mernda Station and catch the Mernda‑line train to Flinders Street. Bus route 388 (and other local bus routes) links Doreen/Laurimar to Mernda Station citation:Bus 388 timetable citation:Moovit / Mernda connections.

- Approximate train time from Mernda to Flinders Street is about 50–52 minutes (total door‑to‑platform time will add the Doreen → Mernda bus leg, typically 10–20 minutes depending on stop) citation:Mernda Line info citation:Mernda to Flinders Street travel time ~52 min.

NAPLAN by Subject: How St Paul the Apostle Catholic Primary School Compares

Subject-by-subject results vs the average of 5 nearby schools.

Year 3

Year 5

Sources

Generated from web research — for informational purposes only, not professional advice. NAPLAN data from ACARA.