Matthews Elementary School

Matthews Elementary School is a small elementary campus in Northport, Alabama, run under Tuscaloosa County. The school teaches 401 students in grades pre-K through 4.

Across the 35 schools in Tuscaloosa County (19,278 students total), Matthews Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

In terms of who attends, Matthews Elementary School lists that Black students make up the majority at 58%. The remainder is composed of 35% Hispanic, 6% White. That is considerably more Black than the county at large, where the share is closer to 31%.

In terms of school funding signals, The school currently runs with 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 15.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 17.0:1, putting Matthews Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Roughly 87% of students at Matthews Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. That share is north of Tuscaloosa County's rate of about 54%.

After controlling for student poverty, Matthews Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 20.9%; this one delivers 25.9%.

Across the wider county, Tuscaloosa County reports that the typical household earns roughly $66,231 per year, 32% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 11%. In all, Tuscaloosa County runs 58 public schools (combined enrollment of about 30,508 students), of which Matthews Elementary School is one.

CollinsRiverside Middle School is the nearest neighboring public school, about 0.1 miles from this campus. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Matthews Elementary School. Among the 8 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Matthews Elementary School ranks 8th on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 37.8%.

The school occupies an outer-ring site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Matthews Elementary School has contracted 19%, going from 493 students in 2018 to 401 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share shrank from 66% to 58%. Class-load math has tightened: from 19.7:1 in 2018 to 15.3:1 in 2025.

In the discussion threads here, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.