The conference comprises schools in Fairfield County, Litchfield County, and New Haven County Prior to the 1980s, high school sports leagues in Connecticut tended to be smaller than they are today and were composed of schools that were very close, geographically, and often represented student bodies that were fairly similar in composition.
In the late 80s, as a result of an effort by the Commissioner of Education and the Superintendents of many of our school districts, a movement emerged to expand athletic conferences and have them represent schools of greater variety in terms of socio-economic population, racial and ethnic population, and geography.
Numerous programs were developed to encourage closer cooperation between urban/suburban communities.
As a result of this effort, a number of athletic conferences expanded.
[1] The South West Conference established two divisions for its sports programs.