Anderson High School (Austin, Texas)
Encyclopedia
L.C. Anderson High School is a public high school
located in the city of Austin
, Texas
, United States
.
In 1938 the school was renamed for E. H. Anderson's brother, Laurine Cecil Anderson (1853–1938), also a local black educator who served as principal of the school for 33 years, from 1896 to 1929. Anderson was unanimously granted the posthumous honor by the Austin Independent School District
(AISD) school board. In 1953 the school moved yet again, to 900 Thompson Street.
In 1971, the school was ordered closed by a federal judge
as part of desegregation
, and a new, integrated L. C. Anderson High School was opened at its current location at 8403 Mesa Drive in 1973, with its first class graduating in 1974. The new Anderson's first principal — another prominent African-American educator, Dr. W. Charles Akins — now has an AISD school, Akins High School
, named after him.
, and one of the top 10 in Texas by Texas Monthly
. It is the only school in AISD and one of only a few in Central Texas to have the International Baccalaureate Program.
Ranked 327 in 2010 by Newsweek
. Its football
program, the most visible athletic program for any school in Texas, has not done well since the switch, usually achieving only two or three wins out of ten games each season. The team had a better season in 2007-08, though, under new head coach Marcus Reiland; its record for the year was 6-4. In 2008-09, the team struggled with a record of 2-8. In 09-10, the team's record was 6-4, after starting out the season 3-0, but finished the season 3-4, just missing the playoffs. 2010 has been a good year for Trojan football so far, with the team's record at 10-1, capturing the Bi-District Title with a playoff win against Westwood High School (Austin, Texas)
of Round Rock, TX.
Other Anderson teams are more successful, however. The wrestling
team has won the district championship thirteen years in a row, and its golf
team went to the state championship nine years in a row. The swim team has also continued to do well despite the change to 5A, having eight state finalists at the 2007 state swim meet. Competing for the Anderson men's bowling team, William Ganem won the 2011 Texas High School Bowling Club state singles championship.
film, People Like Us.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located in the city of Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Anderson High School began in 1889, when a high school was added to Robertson Hill School (itself established in 1884), the city's first school for African-American children. It was located in the same building as the lower school, at San Marcos and 11th Streets. In 1907 the high school became independent and moved to Olive and Curve Streets. It was named for E. H. Anderson, who served as principal of Prairie View Normal Institute (now Prairie View A&M) from 1879 to 1885. In 1913 the high school moved again, to Pennsylvania Street (now the location of Kealing Middle School).In 1938 the school was renamed for E. H. Anderson's brother, Laurine Cecil Anderson (1853–1938), also a local black educator who served as principal of the school for 33 years, from 1896 to 1929. Anderson was unanimously granted the posthumous honor by the Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District
Austin Independent School District is a school district that is based in the city of Austin, Texas, United States. It was established in 1881. Its current superintendent is...
(AISD) school board. In 1953 the school moved yet again, to 900 Thompson Street.
In 1971, the school was ordered closed by a federal judge
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
as part of desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, and a new, integrated L. C. Anderson High School was opened at its current location at 8403 Mesa Drive in 1973, with its first class graduating in 1974. The new Anderson's first principal — another prominent African-American educator, Dr. W. Charles Akins — now has an AISD school, Akins High School
Akins High School
Akins High School is located in South Austin, Texas, United States. It was named after Dr. William Charles Akins, an Austin resident and founded in 2000. It is one of the newest high schools in the Austin Independent School District. Its current attendance exceeds 2,700 students, with the majority...
, named after him.
List of principals
- Dr. W. Charles Akins, 1973–1982
- Ronald D. Beauford, 1982–1991
- Darrel P. Baker, 1991–1996
- Dr. David A. Kernwein, 1996–2007
- Donna L. Houser, 2007—present
Academics
Anderson is one of the top-ranked schools academically in Texas. It was ranked one of the nations's top 250 high schools by the Washington Post, one of the top 500 by NewsweekNewsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, and one of the top 10 in Texas by Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Austin, Texas. Texas Monthly is published by Emmis Publishing, L.P. and was founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, Texas Monthly chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the environment, industry, and education...
. It is the only school in AISD and one of only a few in Central Texas to have the International Baccalaureate Program.
Ranked 327 in 2010 by Newsweek
Athletics
Anderson has been successful in some athletics as in academics, since it recently was promoted from Conference AAAA to Conference AAAAA of the University Interscholastic LeagueUniversity Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
. Its football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
program, the most visible athletic program for any school in Texas, has not done well since the switch, usually achieving only two or three wins out of ten games each season. The team had a better season in 2007-08, though, under new head coach Marcus Reiland; its record for the year was 6-4. In 2008-09, the team struggled with a record of 2-8. In 09-10, the team's record was 6-4, after starting out the season 3-0, but finished the season 3-4, just missing the playoffs. 2010 has been a good year for Trojan football so far, with the team's record at 10-1, capturing the Bi-District Title with a playoff win against Westwood High School (Austin, Texas)
Westwood High School (Austin, Texas)
Westwood High School is a public high school in Anderson Mill, Austin, Texas, United States, and is part of the Round Rock Independent School District. It is located approximately 17 miles north of downtown Austin and 12 miles west of downtown Round Rock, Texas...
of Round Rock, TX.
Other Anderson teams are more successful, however. The wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
team has won the district championship thirteen years in a row, and its golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
team went to the state championship nine years in a row. The swim team has also continued to do well despite the change to 5A, having eight state finalists at the 2007 state swim meet. Competing for the Anderson men's bowling team, William Ganem won the 2011 Texas High School Bowling Club state singles championship.
List of athletic directors
- James S. Acker, 1973–1989
- Ray Dowdy, 1989–1994
- Terry Morris, 1994–1997
- Trent W. Gregory, 1997–2007
- Mark Reiland, 2007—2011
In the media
Anderson High School was featured in the PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
film, People Like Us.
Elementary schools
- Will Davis Elementary School
- Summitt Elementary School
- Hill Elementary School
- Doss Elementary School