HISTORY OF ST. MATTHEW SCHOOL
St. Matthew Catholic School is located in the rural community of Mt. Vernon, Indiana and currently serves children in preschool through 5th grade. St. Matthew was established in 1867, and from its beginning, educated students from a variety of Christian faiths. The original school building was located at the corner of Mulberry and 5th Street. In 1961, the current school building located at the corner of Mulberry and 4th Street opened, and the original building was torn down. St. Matthew School educated students in grades K-8 until 2002 when the local public school corporation opened a new junior high. St. Matthew decided to close its junior high and began exploring the possibility of opening a preschool. In 2005, the Child Care Ministry was opened in a separate building at the corner of Walnut and 5th Street. The Child Care Ministry is a preschool and daycare for three, four, and five year olds. In 2011, when the local public schools began offering all-day kindergarten, our kindergarten enrollment went down. This coming year, we expect to have our highest kindergarten enrollment since 2010.
St. Matthew Parish is one of the smallest parishes in the diocese. We are currently linked with St. Philip Parish and share a pastor.
The community of Mt. Vernon is a small, rural, farming community with several industrial companies. In recent years, the economy has forced many of the businesses in Mt. Vernon to eliminate employees or close completely. Thus, many Mt. Vernon families have had to relocate to other communities to find work. St. Matthew School is the only faith-based school in Mt. Vernon. The larger community and other churches are very supportive of the school.
The St. Matthew School Council meets monthly to give guidance to the administrator and to assist in setting policy guidelines and direction for the school. Students pay tuition to attend the school; however, the parish community assists the school financially. Parents and supportive volunteers give many hours to maintain the school building and property.
St. Matthew Parish is one of the smallest parishes in the diocese. We are currently linked with St. Philip Parish and share a pastor.
The community of Mt. Vernon is a small, rural, farming community with several industrial companies. In recent years, the economy has forced many of the businesses in Mt. Vernon to eliminate employees or close completely. Thus, many Mt. Vernon families have had to relocate to other communities to find work. St. Matthew School is the only faith-based school in Mt. Vernon. The larger community and other churches are very supportive of the school.
The St. Matthew School Council meets monthly to give guidance to the administrator and to assist in setting policy guidelines and direction for the school. Students pay tuition to attend the school; however, the parish community assists the school financially. Parents and supportive volunteers give many hours to maintain the school building and property.