Grades 9–12 Gender Mixed-sex education | Founded 1876 | |
Opened 18762007(Polytech)2006 (Business & Entrepreneurship)2008 (V.O.I.S.E) Principal Ali N. Muhammad (Polytech)Wayne K. Issa(Business & Entrepreneurship) Ennis C. Harvey (V.O.I.S.E) Enrollment 122 (2014–15) (Polytech)129 (2014–15) (Business & Entrepreneurship)231 (2014–15) (V.O.I.S.E) Headquarters Chicago, Illinois, United States | ||
Austin Community Academy High School (later known as Austin Polytech High School) was a public 4–year high school located at 231 North Pine Avenue in the Austin neighborhood on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Operated by the Chicago Public Schools, Austin opened in 1876 and was named in honor of Henry W. Austin, a Chicago real estate developer In 2004, The online newsletter Chicago-Catalyst.org called it the yellow brick fortress. Austin Polytech shares it's campus with two smaller schools; Austin Business & Entrepreneurship Academy High and V.O.I.S.E. Academy High School.
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History
Austin was opened by the Chicago Public Schools district in 1876. During the mid-twentieth century, Austin High was considered one of the best high schools in the Chicago area. In later years, however, Austin suffered from low test scores, low attendance, and student violence. The Chicago Public Schools began phasing it out in 2004, ordering the school to stop admitting new freshman. The last graduations were held in June 2007 and the phase-out was completed by the end of summer, 2007. Many of the old school records from 1890 to 1970 are now preserved at the Chicago Public Library in the Special Collections for Community History.
Renaissance 2010
As part of the Renaissance 2010 program, the school's campus was then converted into three smaller high schools:
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. In 1937, Austin High School's 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. The attendance was estimated to be as high as 130,000—possibly the largest crowd to ever attend an American football game. (Sources vary on the exact figure, however; the Illinois High School Association provides an estimate of 110,000 attendees.) Austin won 26-0.
Austin High School Chess Team
During the 2000–01 school year, Abraham Lee, captain of the undefeated Austin Community Academy 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 was a Richard Dunbar who 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; http://www.unitedstateschessfederation.org