Thornton Fractional South High School opened in 1958 and Thornton Fractional High School in Calumet City, which opened in 1926, was renamed to Thornton Fractional North High School. The school flag, a replica of the flag of the Confederacy of the United States, was retired in 1993. The Thornton Fractional Vocational Center, later renamed the Center for Academics and Technology was later built between the two high schools in Calumet City and opened for T.F. South and T.F. North students and has served many purposes, from being a freshman academy, to hosting AP courses for students from both campuses, to housing programs such as CAD, nursing, and culinary arts.
Academics
In 2010, District 215, T.F. South, T.F. North, and CAT, combined had an average composite ACT score of 18.7. Also in 2010, the total enrollment at T.F. South was 2,014 and graduated 93% of its senior class. T.F. South has not made Adequate Yearly Progress on the Prairie State Achievement Examination, PSAE, a state test used in Illinois to fulfill the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. When comparing District 215's 2008–2009's PSAE scores to 2009–2010's scores, the scores have significantly gone down. Overall, the school has not met minimum expectations in mathematics and science. All three of the school's student subgroups failed to meet expectations in mathematics, and two of the three failed to meet expectations in reading.
Athletics
T.F. South competes in the South Suburban Conference & is a member of the Illinois High School Association, the body that governs most sports & competitive activities in the state. All T.F. South's teams are known as the Rebels. Athletics director for The T.F. South Rebels is Marc Brewe. The football team twice reached the state semifinals. In 2010, Varsity football was ranked # 57 in Illinois, the highest rank it has had since before 2007. But in 2012, they were ranked #24 in Illinois finishing the season with a shared South Suburban Blue Conference championship and 7 All-Conference selections. In 2011, Badminton was the SSC Conference team Champions. The badminton team also placed 2nd in the IHSA state finals in 2011. Also during the 2010–2011 year, Girls' Cross-Country qualified for sectionals, with one runner awarded All-Conference. The athletic sports that T.F.South has to offer include Boys Golf, Girls Badminton, Baseball and Softball, Boys and Girls Basketball, Boys and Girls Bowling, Boys and Girls Swimming, Football, Cheerleading, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Boys and Girls Soccer, Boys and Girls Tennis, Boys and Girls Track and Field, Boys and Girls Volleyball, and Wrestling.
