South High students largely came from working class families. It was not uncommon for students to have parents who came from other countries, such as Germany, Greece, or Japan. South High was known as the most racially cosmopolitan school in Utah, although the total numbers of African-Americans was quite small compared to most large American cities. The school also had a vibrant Polynesian contingent (Tongan and Samoan), as well as Hispanic and South East Asian contingents. The latter were largely part of the group sometimes called "boat people", referring to those who fled communist advances in South East Asia by watercraft. These students started enrolling at South in the late 1970s and early 1980s. During this time, South High saw dwindling enrollment, due in large part to the lack of families with school age children located within its boundaries.