Morse, which serves a predominantly socioeconomically-disadvantaged student population, has produced several notable athletes among its alumni.

Development pressure and other factors led to the disappearance of Japanese American farmers south of Interstate 8[4] Opening Named after the inventor Samuel Finley Breese Morse, Morse High first opened its doors in 1962 to 1,200 freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

A highly publicized execution-style double-homicide that occurred on Morse's front lawn in 1992,[5] in addition to the school's campus serving as a geographical locus of several major gangs in the area (for which many of its students were members of or associated with), painted Morse in an entirely negative light.

[9] Following Rocio Weiss's departure as Co-Principal in 2008, Todd Irving retained his role as Principal of Morse High School.

[14][6] Morse serves the racially and socioeconomically diverse communities of Alta Vista, Bay Terraces, Encanto, Jamacha-Lomita, Paradise Hills, and Skyline in Southeast San Diego.

[14] In 2006–2007, with an enrollment at 2,795, demographics from the California Department of Education show that 35% of the students were Filipino, followed by Hispanic-Latino (34%), Black (21%), and non-Hispanic White (4.0%).

[3] Academic Performance Index place the school in schoolwide API of 640 (growth) in 2007 from 648 (base) in 2006 where 800 is the targeted California state goal.