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Central Meade County School - 09

Q: Is Central Meade County School - 09 a good school?

Central Meade County School - 09 ranks 115 th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-8

115^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 300 South Dakota Elementary Schools

Better than 62% of South Dakota elementary schools

Summary

Central Meade County School - 09 is an elementary school located in Union Center, South Dakota, serving 48 students in grades K-8 and is part of the Meade School District 46-1. The school has a mixed academic performance, with some grades excelling while others struggle, and a relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio.

The school's performance on the Smarter Balanced Assessments varies significantly across grade levels. While 3rd-grade students excel, with 100% proficiency in both English Language Arts and Mathematics, the 8th-grade students lag behind, with only 25% proficiency in each subject. This inconsistency in performance is worth further investigation to identify the underlying factors and opportunities for improvement. Compared to nearby schools in the district, Elm Springs Elementary - 13 outperforms Central Meade County School - 09, while the latter outperforms Hereford Elementary - 08.

Another area of concern for Central Meade County School - 09 is its high chronic absenteeism rates, ranging from 7.6% to 20.9% over the past few years. Addressing the root causes of chronic absenteeism and implementing strategies to improve student attendance could be a focus area for the school and district. Despite these challenges, the school has a relatively high per-student spending and low student-teacher ratio, which may contribute to its strengths in supporting specific student subgroups, such as female, multi-racial, and low socioeconomic status students.

Students ?

9.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,168

Per pupil spending ?

6.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

19625 Ball Field Road
Union Center, SD 57787

(605) 269-2264

District: Meade School District 46-1

Students who attend Central Meade County School - 09 usually attend:

Middle:	Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02
High:	Sturgis Brown High School - 01

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.8%

Two or more races:

10.2%

See top rated South Dakota elementary schools

Compare Central Meade County School - 09 to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

Strengths

✓Above the South Dakota median (62nd percentile)

✓Small classes — about 9 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school43%

District avg49%

South Dakota avg47%

Elementary school

115^th of 300

South Dakota public elementary schools ?

Top 38%

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

147^th of 246

South Dakota public middle schools ?

Bottom 40%

See the entire ranking list of South Dakota Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 8Elementary Schools in the Meade School District 46-1

65^th of 147Meade School District 46-1 among South Dakota districts

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Elementary school

Multi-racial (2025)98th percentile+36 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)93rd percentile+32 vs school

Female (2025)91st percentile+29 vs school

Male (2025)41st percentile-21 vs school

White (2025)41st percentile-21 vs school

Special Education (2025)5th percentile-56 vs school

Middle school

Male (2025)52nd percentile+12 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)50th percentile+9 vs school

White (2025)34th percentile-6 vs school

Female (2025)30th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2025)16th percentile-25 vs school

By subject vs South Dakota (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts47%-4 vs state

Science43%~ state avg

Mathematics40%-3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Central Meade County School - 09

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking ()				Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics (2025)							Smarter Balanced Assessments Science (2025)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score ()	Statewide Rank ()	State Percentile ()	Rank Change from Previous Year	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments English Language Arts All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 3rd Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 4th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 6th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 7th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Mathematics All Grades	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 5th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science 8th Grade	Smarter Balanced Assessments Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Central Meade County School - 09	Public	K-8	19625 Ball Field Road	Union Center	57787	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 269-2264	49	5	9.1	6.1%	44 (89.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (10.2%)	63.5	115^th of 300 public elementary schools	61.7%					(n/a)	100.0	33.3	50.0	60.0	50.0	25.0	46.7	100.0	33.3	50.0	40.0	33.3	25.0	40.0	50.0	37.5	42.9	$17,168	$214	$16,955
Atall Elementary - 17	Public	K-8	16375 Atall Rd	Union Center	57787	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 269-2264	12	1	8.6	25.0%	12 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	57	140^th of 300 public elementary schools	53.3%					(n/a)	100.0	0.0	0.0	100.0	33.3	100.0	50.0	100.0	100.0	0.0	100.0	33.3	100.0	62.5	0.0	0.0	0.0
Hereford Elementary - 08	Public	K-8	15998 Cross S Rd	Hereford	57785	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 269-2264	13	1	9.3	23.1%	13 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38.4	207^th of 300 public elementary schools	31.0%					(n/a)	0.0	50.0		100.0	0.0		25.0	50.0	0.0		100.0	0.0		37.5
Elm Springs Elementary - 13	Public	K-8	21309 Elm Springs Rd	Wasta	57791	Meade County	Meade School District 46-1	(n/a)	(n/a)	No	No	(605) 269-2264	10	1	7.1	30.0%	10 (100.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	81.7	23^rd of 300 public elementary schools	92.3%					(n/a)		50.0		66.7		50.0	57.2		100.0		66.7		0.0	57.2		0.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Meade County School - 09

What is the racial makeup of Central Meade County School - 09?

Students at Central Meade County School - 09 are 90% White, 10% Two or more races.

What district is Central Meade County School - 09 in?

Meade School District 46-1

Is Central Meade County School - 09 a good school?

Central Meade County School - 09 ranks 115^th of 300 South Dakota elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What schools do graduates of Central Meade County School - 09 attend?

Students who attend Central Meade County School - 09 usually go on to attend:

Middle : Sturgis Williams Middle School - 02
High : Sturgis Brown High School - 01

How many students attend Central Meade County School - 09?

In the 2024-25 school year, 49 students attended Central Meade County School - 09.

Rate Central Meade County School - 09!

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the South Dakota Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.