Location of Southeast Conference Members (1997-2009)
After a few years of competition, most of the schools in the Central and West Divisions were unhappy with the long travel distances experienced with facing schools in Racine and Kenosha.[7][8] In addition, the WIAA approved a merger with the Wisconsin Independent Schools Athletic Association (an organization for private school athletics) to begin in 1997.[9] In the wake of these developments, another round of realignment was approved for the high school conferences in southeastern Wisconsin. Two new conferences were created (Classic 8 and Greater Metro), and the Southeast Conference lost members to both of them. Six schools (Arrowhead, Kettle Moraine, Mukwonago, Waukesha North, Waukesha South and Waukesha West) joined the Classic 8,[10] and two joined the Greater Metro (Nathan Hale and West Allis Central).[11][12] The remaining seven schools accepted three new members into the Southeast Conference: two from the Woodland Conference (Franklin and South Milwaukee)[13] and one from the Southern Lakes Conference (Burlington).[14] The ten schools of the Southeast Conference were aligned into Northern and Southern divisions:
Northern Division
Southern Division
Burlington
Kenosha Bradford
Franklin
Kenosha Tremper
Muskego
Racine Case
Oak Creek
Racine Horlick
South Milwaukee
Racine Park
2009-present
Within a few years after the Southeast Conference was realigned in 1997, the two smallest schools (Burlington and South Milwaukee) began to voice their displeasure at the long travel distances and competitive imbalance they faced as members. Both schools rejoined their former conferences in 2009, with Burlington returning to the Southern Lakes Conference[15] and South Milwaukee reuniting with the Woodland Conference.[16] The Southeast Conference dropped divisional alignments to compete as a single entity with the reduction to eight members. In 2012, Muskego left to join the Classic 8 Conference after the Kenosha Unified School District added a third high school on the west side of the city (Indian Trail High School and Academy).[17] In 2025, Oak Creek left to become members of the Classic 8 Conference,[18] decreasing the Southeast Conference's roster to seven schools.
Football-only alignment
In February 2019, in conjunction with the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association, the WIAA released a sweeping football-only realignment for Wisconsin to commence with the 2020 football season and run on a two-year cycle.[19] The Southeast Conference was one of the few conferences in the state that stayed entirely intact after the realignment,[20][21] but this will no longer be the case for the 2026-2027 realignment cycle. Oak Creek will be joining the Classic 8 (one year after becoming a full member) and Franklin is aligning with the Greater Metro Conference. Westosha Central will be moving over from the Southern Lakes Conference as a replacement, and with both conferences having seven football members, the Southeast and Southern Lakes Conferences will enter a scheduling partnership. This partnership mandates that one crossover game per school per season must be played, with the results included in the respective schools won-loss record in conference play.[22][23]
