The SBC has 22 full members schools located within Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky, and Seneca counties.
The reasonably short travel distances and limited range of sizes promotes tight competition throughout all sanctioned sports and a long history of membership with several rivalries.
The conference was established in 1948 and offers competition in the following sports: On February 11, 2025, it was reported that the school boards at ten of the Lake and Bay division schools (Clyde, Columbian, Norwalk, Perkins, and Sandusky of the Lake along with Bay members Bellevue, Edison, Huron, Port Clinton, and Vermilion) were going to vote to withdraw from the SBC and begin their own league with two divisions for the convenience of scheduling.
[16] On March 17, 2016, Norwalk Director of Student Activities Josh Schlotterer advised the divisional breakdown would be based on enrollment and some schools would slide between divisions for football and all other sports as there are three non-football members.
[18] On March 20, SBC Executive Secretary/Treasurer Gregg Hedden announced that Gibsonburg Local Schools would be joining the River Division, effective 2018.