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.  

The community of Mt. Vernon is a small, rural, farming community with several large industries which bolster the local economy. St. Matthew School is the only faith-based school in Mt. Vernon.  The larger community and other churches are very supportive of the school as is evident in the success of our year St. Matthew School Auction which is held every winter.

​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. Most student’s tuition is covered by the Indiana Choice Voucher unless a student resides out of state. The parish community assists the school financially as the Indiana Choice Voucher does not cover the full cost to educate a student. Parents and supportive volunteers give many hours to maintain the school building and property.