Southeast High School is a public high school that takes in students from an area determined by the Manatee County School District. However, for admission into the IB program, applications are accepted through February of a student's eighth grade year. These applications consist of a 250-word essay, all report cards from middle school and the students' most recent FCAT scores in reading and mathematics. The application process is slightly different for students applying from Johnson Middle School, a local IB middle school.
Awards and distinctions
For the school year 2010–2011, Southeast High School scored higher on the SAT than all other high schools in the Manatee County School District. In addition, for the same school year, it was named a 5-Star school by the Department of Education. In 2012, the school was awarded a 'B' ranking by the Florida Department of Education, a full two grade levels above its previous ranking The school has also been recognized by Newsweek magazine in its annual rankings of high schools in the United States for the year of 2007 and was ranked 330 in 2006, 497 in 2007, 356 in 2008, 277 in 2009 and 512 in 2010.
Activities
Southeast High School has many after-school activities, which frequently earn top honors at the local, state, national and international levels.
The Technology Student Association at Southeast High School is one of the most respected programs in the nation. In 2010, a group of students in the competed in a Formula One competition, winning first place in an international event in Singapore and subsequently won third place in 2011, setting a record for being a two-time top three finalist. The program has been awarded State and National grand champions on multiple occasions in the past several years. In 2018, Southeast TSA competed in the event TEAMS for their first time. They placed 1st overall in the state of Florida and won National trophy for Digital Media Production, a competition in which students were tasked in creating a promotional video as a mock sustainable consulting company. The team placed 4th overall in the nation.
The SkillsUSA program at Southeast High School is reigning national champions for the years 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018 in the Broadcast New Category. This is due to the program at the school.
