The school's founding principal was J. Ross Stevenson who served a year at Porter until he was transferred to the new David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute in 1959.

However, instead, it was decided that at the start of the 1997–98 school year, W. A. Porter Collegiate was designated as the Scarborough Academy of Technological, Environmental and Computer Studies by the SBE, although the original name continues to exist.

As of 2022, SATEC has switched to an essay-only system, as a requirement to enter their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics)[3] program.

The school offers two Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) programs: ICT (Information and Communication Technology) and the Environment.

Unlike Winston Churchill Collegiate Institute and West Hill Collegiate Institute which were both designed by Harold Carter, the academic areas and gymnatorium layout are the shape of a backward letter L. Other features include a 500-seat auditorium, library resource centre, three gymnasiums, a weight room, cafeteria, technical-vocational shops and a six-lane pool located at the eastern corner of the school.

With generous support of corporate donors in Rona and the Toronto Argonauts, SATEC revamped its track field into a regulation-sized football stadium.

SATEC hosted its first-ever Friday night game on October 11, 2013 against David and Mary Thomson Collegiate Institute.

Soon after, a selected group of players appeared on CP24 Breakfast with Nalini Sharma as Argos head coach Jim Barker demonstrated the fundamental runs and tackles of the sport.

[6] In June 2023, the school's boys varsity soccer team were crowned TDSSAA City Champions with a win against Richview, and represented the TDSB in the 2023 OFSAA Championships in Windsor SATEC has many student clubs for interests such as athletics, human rights, DECA and Model United Nations.

It hosts new student arrival initiatives with Prefects and PAC, an annual Halloween event, and holiday festivities which include the semi-formal.