Summary:
The city of Saint Matthews, South Carolina, is served by the Calhoun 01 school district, which includes just two schools—St. Matthews K-8 School (grades PK-8, 509 students) and Calhoun County High (grades 9-12, 397 students)—together serving roughly 906 students in a small, centralized campus setting.
For parents, the most striking difference between the two schools is in their academic profiles. St. Matthews K-8 shows strong early-grade reading, with 3rd and 4th grade ELA proficiency around 52-54%, but math takes a dramatic nosedive: proficiency falls from 44.4% in 4th grade to just 18.4% in 6th grade, and it never recovers through 8th grade. This "math cliff" is the district's biggest red flag. In contrast, Calhoun County High posts a standout 87.36% proficiency in English 2 (above the state average) and a perfect 0.0% dropout rate, with an 88.1% graduation rate that beats the state. However, its English 1 scores (50%) and U.S. History scores (44.7%) lag well behind state averages, and year-to-year swings are large—English 1 jumped 12.7 points in one year, suggesting small cohorts make results volatile.
Both schools spend heavily—$18,017 per student at the K-8 and $19,860 at the high school—yet most test scores remain below state averages, raising questions about how funds are used. Chronic absenteeism is a concern at the K-8 (23.1%, slightly above the state average) but slightly better at the high school (19.7%). The district ranks in the bottom 12% statewide, but the high school's graduation rate and English 2 success prove excellence is possible. For parents, the takeaway is mixed: early elementary reading is a bright spot, math needs urgent attention, and the high school excels at keeping students on track to graduate, even if test scores don't always reflect that.
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