Austin High School Graduation Records

Austin High School Archivist Brian Schenk has recently completed an exhaustive search and documentation of AHS graduates from the years 1901 -2008. His notes are printed below and I know you will find his research interesting and his dedication to our school inspiring.

Total Graduates listed = 40,900
Estimated missing, 1901-1910 = 200
Graduates 1955-2008, not listed on Registrar’s state report = 50

Working total of graduates through 2008 = 41,150

Summary and notes:
1. John Henry Brown’s list: Travis County Clerk Brown kept a typewritten “Annals of Travis County” during the 19th Century. It was an eclectic local history record, including all sorts of things from the local newspapers and other sources. He published a list of Austin High graduates that exists as the only useful list of graduates before 1900, since the school’s records burned in the huge temporary capitol building fire on September 30, 1899. Typescript original is in the Austin-Travis County History Center, Austin. Graduates, 1883-1900
2. Graduation Record Cards: The earliest Graduation Record Cards, 1918 and before, have two sections and often we find two cards per person. Beginning in 1919 (we think) a standard 5×8” GRC was used. This same format was used until the incoming graduating class of 1956 entered Austin High. Those students’ records were then kept on a much larger 9×12” GRC. All records before 1955 are on the 5×8” card. All after 1955 are on the larger 9×12 card.
3. Registrar’s List: The earliest “Registrar’s list” is the January, 1931, list. These typewritten lists are the “Official Graduation List” for the school. We have found some students with Graduation Record Cards who are not listed on the Registrar’s list. We have found about 150 students listed on the Registrar’s list for whom there are no Graduation Record Cards.
4. State Graduation Report: Beginning in the 1980s, Registrars were required to submit to Austin ISD a set of “Official Graduation Reports” in a State-Mandated Format. We have consulted all of these we could locate.
5. Honoraries: Some classes included everyone who had attended Austin High. A small percentage of these students never graduated and are called “Honoraries”. They are entered in the database until their address no longer is current. They are then deleted from our database, since it is intended to be AHS “Graduates”.
6. Research: The project began in June, 2004, and was completed in October, 2008. Reconstructing the record of graduates has required the use of the following documents, which varied from year to year based on available information,

  • 1883-1900Graduates list is included in John Henry Brown’s “Annals of Travis County, Texas”, a typescript prepared by Brown while serving as Travis County Clerk.
    A handwritten ledger of grades, 1891-1897, is in the Archives and confirms the Brown
    List. 249 total graduates
  • 1901-1907 No official records. No graduation record cards.
  • 1901 No school record of any kind
  • 1902Senior Photos from Comet
  • 1903 Graduation Program
  • 1904Senior Photos from Comet
  • 1905 Graduation Program
  • 1906 Graduation Program, June, Incomplete Student Graduation Record Cards
  • 1907Graduation Program, June, Incomplete Student Graduation Record Cards
  • 1909 Graduation program, January 1909, 17 graduates
  • 1909Graduation program, June, 1909
  • 1910Graduation program, June, 1910
  • 1908-1910 Graduation record cards. Total graduates 1901-1910 Est: 298 Records

  • 1911-1920 Graduation record cards, plus
  • 1912 Graduation program, February, 1912
  • 1913 Graduation program, February, 1913
  • 1914 Graduation program, January, 1914
  • 1914 Stroll Party – “graduates, 1914” June, 1914
  • 1915 Graduation Program, January, 1915
  • 1915 Graduation Program, June, 1915
  • 1916 Graduation Program, June, 1916
  • 1917 Graduation Program, June, 1917
  • 1918 Graduation Program, February, 1918
  • 1918 Graduation program, June, 1918
  • 1919 Graduation program, February, 1919
  • 1919 Graduation program, June, 1919
  • 1920 Graduation program, January, 1920
  • 1920 Graduation program, June, 1920
  • 1920 Graduation program, July, 1920
  • 1911 -1920 Graduation record cards

Total Graduates 1911-1920 = 1403

  • 1922 June graduation program
  • 1923 June graduation program
  • 1921 Graduation program, January, 1921
  • 1921 Graduation program, June, 1921
  • 1922 Graduation program, January, 1922
  • 1923 Graduation program, January, 1923
  • 1923 Graduation List, Austin Statesman, June, 1923
  • 1923 Graduation program, June, 1923
  • 1925 Graduation program, January, 1925
  • 1925 Graduation program, August, 1925
  • 1921-1930 Graduation record cards

Total Graduates 3074

  • 1931-1940 Graduation record cards. Total Graduates 4388

  • 1931 January and August Registrar’s list
  • 1932 January and June Registrar’s list
  • 1933 January Registrar’s list
  • 1934-1940: January, May/June, July/Aug Registrar’s list
  • 1941-1950 Graduation record cards: Total Graduates 5791

  • 1943 January and June Registrar’s list
  • 1944-1950: January, May/June, July/Aug Registrar’s list
  • 1951-1960 Graduation record cards, old
  • 1951-1955

Total graduates 5524

  • Graduation record cards, 8×12, 1956-1960.
  • 1951-1960, January, May/June, July/Aug Registrar’s List
  • 1961-1970 Graduation record cards. Total graduates 5719
  • 1961-1970: January, May/June, July/Ã…ug Registrar’s List
  • 1971-1980 Graduation record cards. Total graduates 3783
    1971-1980 Registrar’s graduate lists
  • 1981-1990 Graduation record cards. Total graduates 3577

  • 1981-1990 Registrar’s graduate lists,
    AISD Report List of Graduates, 1985, 86, 88, 89,90
  • 1991-2000 Graduation record cards. Total graduates 3582
    1991-2000 Registrar’s graduate lists
    Commencement programs, June 1991-2000
    AISD PEIMS List of Graduates 1992-2000
  • 2001-2008 Graduation record cards. Total graduates through 2008: 3509
  • 2001-2008 Registrar’s list of graduates
  • 1941-1942, January, May/June, July/Aug Registrar’s list

AISD PEIMS List of graduates, 2001,2004-2008
Commencement programs, June 2001-2008

One Response to “Austin High School Graduation Records”

  1. cstaves Says:

    Is is possible to obtain a yearbook from the class of 1965?
    My name is Carmen Cortez-Staves, and I graduated in 1965 and worked on the yearbook, among other things. I lost my yearbook over the years and I was wondering if I could obtain another. I am registered online at this site in the alumni section. My email address is carmcpc@yahoo.com

    Thank you

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