Austin Community Academy High School

Last updated
Austin High School (Chicago)
Austin community academy high school Sign.jpg
Address
Austin Community Academy High School
231 N. Pine Avenue

Chicago
,
Illinois
60644

United States
Coordinates 41°53′06″N87°45′45″W / 41.8849°N 87.7626°W / 41.8849; -87.7626
Information
School type
Motto "Your future starts here."
Established1876
Closed2016; (Business & Entrepreneurship)
2016; (Polytech)
2016; (V.O.I.S.E)
School district Chicago Public Schools
CEEB code 140747
PrincipalLaTacia Morgan–Greene [1]
Grades 9–12
Gender Coed
Enrollment164 (2023–2024) [1]
Campus type Urban
Color(s)  Maroon
  White [2]
Mascot Tigers
Accreditation North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
YearbookMaroon & White [3]
Website accachicago.cps.edu

Austin College and Career Academy High School (formerly known as Austin Polytech High School, commonly known as Austin High School) [4] is a public four-year high school located in the Austin neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Operated by the Chicago Public Schools, Austin opened in 1876 [5] and was named in honor of Henry W. Austin, a Chicago real estate developer. [6]

Contents

Austin shared its campus with two smaller schools; Austin Business & Entrepreneurship Academy High and V.O.I.S.E. Academy High School. After the 2015–2016 school year, the small schools converted into one school and was renamed Austin College and Career Academy High School. [7]

History

One of the entrances to the school, 2017. Austin community academy high school Door.jpg
One of the entrances to the school, 2017.

Austin was opened by the Chicago Public Schools district in 1876. [5]

In 1899, the tuition charged to residents of River Forest and Maywood going to Oak Park High School was raised, prompting the students from those towns to move their students to Austin High. [8]

During the mid-twentieth century, Austin High was considered one of the best high schools in the Chicago area. [9] In 2004, the online newsletter Chicago-Catalyst.org called the school "A yellow brick fortress".

In later years, however, Austin suffered from low test scores, low attendance, and student violence. During the 2003–2004 school year, The Chicago Public Schools began phasing the school out, ordering the school to stop admitting new freshmen students. [10] The last graduations were held in June 2007 and the phase-out was completed by the end of summer, 2007. [11] [12] Many of the old school records from 1890 to 1970 were moved to the Chicago Public Library's Special Collections for Community History for preservation after the original closing of the school in 2007.

Renaissance 2010

As part of the Renaissance 2010 program, the school's campus was then converted into three smaller high schools:

After the 2015–2016 school year, Chicago Public Schools decided to close the small schools and merge them back into one school, naming the new school Austin College and Career Academy High School.

Academics

Austin College and Career Academy is rated a 1 out of 10 by GreatSchools.org, a national school quality information site. [16] GreatSchools’ Summary Rating is based on four of the school’s themed ratings: the Test Score Rating, Student or Academic Progress Rating, College Readiness Rating, and Equity Rating and flags for discipline and attendance disparities at a school.

Athletics

Austin competes in the Chicago Public League (CPL) and is a member of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Austin sport teams are nicknamed Tigers.

Chicago Prep Bowl (1937)

In 1937, The schools' football team played Leo Catholic High School in the Chicago Prep Bowl at Soldier Field. Austin was led by star running back Bill DeCorrevont, one of the best known high school athletes of his day. [17] The attendance was estimated to be as high as 130,000 [18] —possibly the largest crowd to ever attend an American football game. [19] (Sources vary on the exact figure, however; the Illinois High School Association provides an estimate of 110,000 attendees.) Austin won 26–0. [18]

Chess Team

The Team had been on the channel four news for being undefeated statewide and became the statewide champions of the Illinois chess teams which also brought media attention in other aspects which include the Austin Weekly and Chicago Tribune. Mr. Lee was undefeated the entire season and was noted as breaking records and making history for the Austin Community Academy High School as there hadn't been a chess team since the early 1980s. The coach, Richard Dunbar was a detective for the Chicago Police Department who cared entirely about the community and local youth. Abraham Lee is listed in the United States Chess Federation. [20]

Notable alumni

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References

  1. 1 2 "Chicago Public Schools: Austin College and Career Academy". Chicago Public Schools.
  2. ↑ "IHSA Chicago (Austin)". www.ihsa.org.
  3. ↑ "Invitation to join Austin Career Academy Alumni". www.classmates.com.
  4. ↑ Success, UChicago Impact, The UChicago Consortium, The Network for College. "Austin College Career Academy HS Details — To&Through Data Tool". toandthrough.uchicago.edu.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. 1 2 "Austin High School Records" . Retrieved 2016-09-15.
  6. ↑ Michael Smith. "Austin High School bears name of pioneer who subdivided village". Chicago Tribune. May 13, 1965. W1.
  7. ↑ "Chicago Board of Ed approves consolidation of Austin High School campus". 25 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "QUIT OAK PARK HIGH SCHOOL: River Forest and Maywood Pupils to Attend at Austin Because of Lower Cost". Chicago Daily Tribune. September 7, 1899. p. 3. ProQuest   172965648.[ dead link ] - Clipping at Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Michael Marsh. "Austin gets with programs". Chicago Sun-Times. September 8, 1993. 85.
  10. ↑ Rosalind Rossi. "Carothers, leaders demand new West Side high school". Chicago Sun-Times. June 28, 2007. 27.
  11. ↑ Chicago Public Schools : CPS Completes Phase-Outs of Three High Schools Archived 2012-03-16 at the Wayback Machine . Cps.edu (2009-11-12). Retrieved on 2013-07-21.
  12. ↑ "Storied Chicago high school nears last dance". Chicago Tribune . 31 May 2007.
  13. ↑ Yasmin Tara Ramohan. "New high school to focus on high-tech manufacturing". Chi-Town Daily News. May 31, 2007. Retrieved on January 31, 2010.
  14. ↑ Paul D. Bowker. "New Austin high school focus of meeting Archived 2010-12-22 at the Wayback Machine ". Chi-Town Daily News. December 1, 2008. Retrieved on January 31, 2010.
  15. ↑ Austin Poly/Austin Business & Entrepreneurship/VOISE Academy Basketball. MaxPreps. Retrieved on August 25, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Best High Schools in Chicago, IL | GreatSchools". GreatSchools.org. Retrieved 2024-07-25.
  17. ↑ Liam T. A. Ford. Soldier Field: A Stadium and Its City. University of Chicago Press, 1937. 83.
  18. 1 2 IHSA Boys Football All-Time General Records Archived 2008-07-06 at the Wayback Machine . Illinois High School Association. January 8, 2010. Retrieved on January 31, 2010.
  19. ↑ Steven A. Riess, Gerald R. Gems. The Chicago Sports Reader. University of Illinois Press, 2009. 18.
  20. ↑ Archives
  21. 1 2 3 4 5 "Austin at a glance". Chicago Sun-Times. September 8, 1993. 85.
  22. ↑ "Roy Brown". Chicago Television. Retrieved 6 February 2011.
  23. ↑ "Larry Canada". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  24. ↑ Koper, Richard (2010). Fifties Blondes: Sexbombs, Sirens, Bad Girls and Teen Queens. Duncan, Oklahoma: BearManor Media. p. 57. ISBN   978-1-593-93521-4.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 Austin High Gang. Encyclopedia of Chicago. Retrieved on January 31, 2010.
  26. ↑ Ney, Annette (April 24, 1985). "Grads Who Made The Big Time". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  27. ↑ "Art Lopatka Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Phil Masi Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  29. ↑ Morris, Eric (2007). The Diary of a Professional Experiencer: An Autobiographical Journey Into the Evolution of an Acting System. Los Angeles, California: Ermor Enterprises. ISBN   9780983629924 . Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  30. ↑ 'Illinois Blue Book 1961-1962,' Biographical Sketch of Walter J. Reum, pg. 236-237
  31. ↑ "Franchot Tone Weds 18 Year Old Chicago Actress in Arizona". Chicago Tribune. Illinois, Chicago. Associated Press. October 19, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved November 13, 2018– via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
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