Until the 1960s, a brick building on Main Street, which is now Rollings Middle School of the Arts, was the only high school in the Summerville area. As Summerville's population increased rapidly in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a larger campus was needed. In 1969, the present building on Boone Hill Road was opened to students. From the first day of classes, the new facility was too small. Because of the unexpectedly high enrollment, several mobile units were set up on the campus. In 1970, Summerville High School and Alston High School were combined to integrate the school district. Attendance continued to increase throughout the 1970s. In 1972, double sessions were used until an additional underclassman campus was completed in 1975. Another classroom wing was created by the spring of 1978. In 1992, Fort Dorchester High School was opened, splitting the school's student body. As a result, the Gregg underclassman campus was renovated as a middle school, and the switch to a single campus was completed in 1998. Construction of a fine arts hall and cafeteria expansion was completed in the fall of 2001. In 2008, Ashley Ridge High School was opened to further ease congestion in the Dorchester District Two school system. When attendance zones were realigned for the opening of the new high school, the Ashley Ridge zone contained mostly students who would have attended Summerville high school, whereas only a small portion of the Fort Dorchester attendance zone was diverted.
Statistics
As of 2004, Summerville has a 78.9% graduation rate. However, the school boasts a 97.3% passing rate of the state's standardized exit exam.
Athletics
Wrestling
The Green Wave won five State Championships under head coach Steve Laprad between 1979 and 1993. Summerville has won 12 state championships in total. Coach Laprad had a 211-8 dual meet record over his coaching career. The program boasts 87 individual state champions, several high school all-Americans, an NCWA national champion, a JuCo national champion, three NCAA all-Americans, an NCAA national champion, a USA Wrestling national assistant coach of the year, and a USA Wrestling man of the year.
Football
The team has won 12 state championships, 10 of them under coach John McKissick. In the 1998 season, the Green Wave went undefeated, rounding out the season defeating Gaffney High School to win the State Championship. McKissick retired after 63 years as coach in 2015 and his grandson Joe Call took over for the 2015 season. McKissick died on November 28, 2019 at age 93.
Baseball
Summerville has won a total of five 4A baseball state championships. Their most recent championship was won in 2016 against JL Mann High School. Swimming Summerville swimming has a total of 4 state championships, 2 for the girls and 2 for the boys. The girls team won in 2000 and 2001. The boys won in 2003 and 2004. Swimming was only added as a recognized high school sport in South Carolina in 1998.
Track and field
In 2010, the girls' team competed in the AAAA State Championships and was the state runner-up team. In 2011, the Lady Green Wave won the state meet. 1985 Green Wave standout Wade Brantley achieved All-American status and a world ranking in the Decathlon and was named the University of South Carolina's track athlete of the decade for the 1980s.
Soccer
In 1996, the girls' team won the state AAAA State Championships. In 1998, Alison Sanders was named the Gatorade State soccer player of the year.
Marching band
The Summerville Marching Band has not placed outside of the top five in South Carolina since 2004. It is a six-time South Carolina state champion, winning most recently in 2014.
