Most students in Summerset are enrolled in the Meade District 46-1 which encompasses about 3,100 of Meade County’s 3,482 square miles. That makes it South Dakota’s largest school district geographically. With an enrollment of 2,462 students in grades K-12, the district ranked 12^th in the state during the 2011-12 school year. More than 1,800 of the district’s students attended school in Sturgis at Brown High School, Williams Middle School, and Sturgis Elementary. The remainder attended Piedmont Valley Elementary, one of six rural schools spread across the county, or Whitewood Elementary. 

Academics

Students in the Meade County School District take the annual Dakota STEP test to ensure that the district is making adequate yearly progress (AYP) in reading and math. According the State of South Dakota's report card, Meade County students achieved AYP in all categories in all grades tested in elementary, middle and high schools in the spring of 2011. Brown High School’s graduation rate was 84 percent in 2012, up from 75.1 percent in 2011and higher than the statewide average of 83.3 percent.

Governance and Budget

The Meade County Board of Education is composed of nine publicly elected members. Board meetings are usually the second Tuesday of each month, 6:30 pm, at Sturgis Williams Middle School. Agendas are available the Friday before meetings and may be picked up at school district administrative offices, or found online at www.meadek12.sd.us. For the 2011-12 school year, the school board estimates total expenditures of about $22.7 million.