[citation needed] Suncoast was the target of an investigation beginning June 2, 1987 by the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights.
The investigation began after parents complained in a letter-writing campaign to state and federal officials that the School Board and then-Superintendent Tom Mills allegedly allowed Suncoast and John F. Kennedy Junior High to become segregated black schools, allowing enrollment to decline and facilities to become run down.
The city government stated it was doing this because the school district did not buy land needed to widen a road into the facility.
Dual enrollment math courses taken are Calculus II/III, Discrete Mathematics, Linear Algebra, and Differential Equations.
[19] Students in the MSE program may also elect to pursue the International Baccalaureate Diploma in their junior and senior years.
[20][21][22] Students wishing to enter the MSE program are required to have a 3.0 GPA and math up to and including Algebra 2 Honors completed.
Core computer science courses include study in the areas of: database design, object-oriented programming, algorithms, data structures, abstraction, program analysis, graphical user interfaces, and applications of computer science to the real world.
Students wishing to enter the CS program are required to have a 3.0 GPA and Algebra 1 as well as Geometry Honors completed.
As a result of this, the team must make burn down charts and evaluate their performance; modification of the remaining sprints may be necessary.
At the end, the projects are presented to and judged by a panel consisting of members from the local industry, business, and educational community.
Graduates from this program can choose to enter industry directly from high school or continue their studies at the college level.
CS, MSE, and IIT students also have an option to take college-level British Literature Before/After 1800, offered by Palm Beach State College.
U.S. News looked at the top 500 public high schools to identify the best in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education.
The national list, which has been compiled by education columnist Jay Mathews since 1998, takes the total number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school each year and divides it by the number of seniors who graduated in May or June.
[29] U.S. News & World Report ranked Suncoast as number 51 in its 2007 list of "America's Best High Schools," with a "College Readiness" score of 70.9 and "Quality-adjusted Exams per Test Taker" at 3.2.
[34] In 2013, The Daily Beast released its list of America's best public high schools and ranked Suncoast 9th in the country.
The Suncoast marching band, the "Chargersonic Sound," performed at the 2007 New Year's Day Parade in London.
Under the direction of Stephanie Nixdorf, the Choral and Theatre programs have grown to include hundreds of students participating in fully staged musicals and singing events throughout the year.
The Cappies is a theatre critic training program that features an awards gala at the end of the year.
[42] Suncoast is a member of the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), and currently competes in the 2-A division.
Varsity sports include Competitive Cheerleading, basketball, baseball, football, tennis, soccer, softball, bowling, volleyball, golf, lacrosse, cross-country, track, water polo, wrestling, and swimming.