In the 1970s, the Wichita School board requested that South change their mascot name.

In 1985, South High athletic director C. Elmer Carpenter died and the football stadium was named in his honor.

Also, in the 1980s, Sims Elementary, which was situated just a few hundred feet from the eastern end of the school, closed.

South's share of the bond issue was $10 million, which was used to put a new floor on the gym, buy new equipment for the school's weight room, improvements to the school's tennis court, and renovations to Carpenter Stadium including putting in Fieldturf on the field and new goalposts, as well as resurfacing the track.

The demographic breakdown of the population is as follows: 55.6% of students are white, 19.6% are African-American, 13.9% are Hispanic, 2.7% are Asian, 4.1% are American Indian, and 4.2% are multi-ethnic.

Additionally, south high employed 114 certified classroom teachers, 61 of whom hold master's degrees.

[9] South is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association and offers a variety of sports programs.