The college caters for approximately 1,300 students in Years 11 and 12 and is administered by the Department for Education, Children and Young People.

As of 2018[update], the college had educated twenty students who progressed to being awarded a Rhodes Scholarship.

In order to gain entrance to the new state high schools students had to have a qualifying certificate from a class teacher and pass their grade 6 exam.

On 26 November 1912, 885 students sat for the exams, and 513 qualified to enter high school either in Hobart or Launceston.

[11] The original courses included teaching, university preparation, industrial, commercial, and home making.

Common subjects for each course were English, geography, history, mathematics, music and physical culture.

Students in the teaching course also had to learn a foreign language, science, and woodwork or cookery.

Students desiring to enter university had to study two foreign languages, and two science subjects.

Commercial school students had to study business principles and practice, shorthand and bookkeeping.

[12] The foreign language courses included Latin for university entrance, and French and German were considered more useful for occupational benefit.

A leaving certificate was issued to those that completed the two year upper school courses.

The aim was not to satisfy examiners, but to "broaden and deepen the educational outlook and cultivating right thoughts and actions".

[10] The teacher's residence at Ivy Lodge was then planned to convert to woodwork workshops for students.

[23] By 1919 in addition to the main building there was a separate block containing science laboratories and wordworking and fitting shops.

[24] Students were organised into three colour groups for sporting competition purposes, red green and blue.

[25] In the same year an inter-school sports included hockey, football, cross-country running, tennis, cricket and swimming.

[36] In 1940 extra building work included a library, dining room, gymnasium, domestic science block and fences.

The SET has audited the fortnightly collection of recycling wheelie bins by Veolia, partnered with the City of Hobart to introduce the Food Organics and Garden Organics collection scheme, removed single-use plastics from the college canteen, and developed a draft College Waste Management Policy.