Matt Elementary School, Cumming GA

Original Research by School Decision on Matt Elementary School

Matt Elementary is a regular public school in Cumming serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It sits in an affluent, rapidly growing suburban county about 39 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta, in a district serving a student population that has grown quickly alongside new residential construction. The school's enrollment is substantial for an elementary school at this grade band, and the student body is predominantly white, with growing shares of Asian and Hispanic students, fewer than one in five students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.

On state assessments, Matt's performance shows a split picture. In math, roughly two in three students across the school score proficient, with fifth grade notably stronger than third grade. In English language arts, the story is softer—just over half of students score proficient in grade three, rising through grades four and five. In the one grade tested in science, fifth graders score proficient at a rate comparable to math. This pattern, where younger grades and ELA lag, is common in elementary schools and may reflect the demands of early literacy instruction, but also suggests that reading and writing development warrant close attention as the school supports students toward middle school.

Matt's peer context is limited for comparison. Forsyth County Schools is the sole school district in the county, so no district-level comparison is available. The school operates in the county's largest employer and one of Georgia's fastest-growing school systems, which has expanded significantly to accommodate rapid population growth driven by new housing construction and its position as an affluent commuter suburb of Atlanta.

The community itself offers both established small-town civic anchors and newer mixed-use development. Historic downtown Cumming centers on the courthouse square with shops and civic institutions, while the new 75-acre Cumming City Center, opened in 2023, provides walkable retail, dining, and parks. The county remains car-dependent, though trail systems like the Big Creek Greenway extend from Cumming, and recent property-tax relief measures and continued voter approval of a sales tax for school capital projects signal district stability on the funding side. Housing values in the area are above both state and national benchmarks, and the median household income for the metro area is solid, making this a neighborhood where most families own and hold property for the long term. Two recent district decisions shape the environment: a ban on student cell phones and tablets during the school day starting in August 2025 (including all grades, with a high school lunch exception), and a homestead property-tax exemption capping annual increases at a fixed percentage, effective through 2026, a financial anchor for homeowners in a market where values have risen sharply.

Parents weighing Matt should expect a school embedded in an affluent, growing community with solid math and science proficiency, but where early-grade literacy instruction merits conversation with the school about specific supports and reading-level assessment practices.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 69% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 74% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 74%

▲ 36 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 54% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 61% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▼ 8 pts below county median

Grade 566%

School 66% · District 65% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 28 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 63% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 34 pts above state median · ▲ 7 pts above county median

Social studies

Grades 3-891%

School 91% · district not reported

▲ 7 pts above state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

This schoolForsyth County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 3Lower-income29%Higher-income63%34 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income38%Higher-income68%30 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income36%Higher-income67%31 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income34%Higher-income66%32 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income40%Higher-income75%35 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income58%Higher-income77%20 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income62%22 pp gap

Grades 3-8Lower-income46%Higher-income71%25 pp gap