In 2004 the Guilford County Board of Education voted to retire the school's former mascot, the Indian.

[2] In 2005 Southern Guilford was turned into a magnet school for the study of agriscience, education, and medicine.

Students are able to explore the fields of pre-medicine, sports medicine, nursing, biotechnology, and agriscience research, botany and horticulture science, veterinary technology and elementary, middle, and upper grades education.

Fifteen credits of the total coursework are academy-designated classes required to graduate Southern Guilford's Academy.

Academy courses include teacher cadet I and II, and advanced placement psychology.