The district serves the five municipalities in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District — Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township, Ship Bottom, and Surf City — along with students from Beach Haven and Stafford Township, and additionally the sending district of Ocean Township (including its Waretown section).

[6] Prior to the opening of Southern Regional, students from Barnegat, Ocean Township, and Long Beach Island attended the former Barnegat High School, while students from Stafford, Eagleswood, Tuckerton, Little Egg Harbor, and Bass River attended the former Tuckerton High School, which currently houses Tuckerton's elementary school.

In December 1991, maintenance crews installing a heating system sparked the fire that damaged the guidance area and several science labs, which were later remodeled.

June 2007 marked Southern Regional's last graduating class with students from Barnegat.

[11] Prior to the termination of the sending relationship with Barnegat, the Southern district had received as much as $30 million for students attending the school.

Additionally, Southern Regional has an "Honor Unit" Air Force Junior ROTC program, which concentrates on aerospace science, leadership training, and community service.

The special needs of students are addressed as well, through self-contained, resource, adaptive success, and in-class support programs.

Mainsail (alternative) and ESL (English as a Second Language) programs are offered for eligible students.

The Southern Regional High School Rams[2] compete in Division A South of the Shore Conference, an athletic conference comprised of public and private high schools in Monmouth and Ocean counties along the Jersey Shore.

[3][18] The conference operates under the jurisdiction of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA).

[24] The team won the 2007 South, Group IV state sectional championship with a 51–12 win against Toms River High School East.

[25] The girls' track team won the Group IV indoor relay state championship in 2007, 2009 and 2010.

They also advanced to the NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV state finals where they lost to Mainland High School 21–14.

[29] The girls' outdoor track and field team won the Group IV state championship in 2007–2009.

[31] The girls volleyball team won the Group IV state championship in 2008 after defeating Hunterdon Central Regional High School in three sets (25-19, 13–25, 25–20) in the playoff's final match.

[38] The boys outdoor track team won the Group IV state championship in 2021.