Austinville & Austin Schools

Austinville had its own high school from about 1937 until about 1959 after Austinville was incorporated into Decatur pursuant to a vote by the people of Austinville.  Austin High School, Decatur’s largest public high school became the successor to Austinville High School in 1962.  Part of the old Austinville High School still remains today as part of Austinville Elementary School.

Today's Austinville Elementary School, under the leadership of Principal Tony Willis and its faculty and community, has brought the old Austinville High history as well as Decatur’s overall history into the interior of the entire building through an amazing display of Decatur’s iconic places.  This display involves all classrooms and common areas—literally, a huge and stunning visual history classroom throughout the entire building. 

The old Austinville High School has an active alumni group who wrote the text for and purchased an official Alabama Historical Association marker in 2019. This marker stands in front of the current Austinville Elementary School. Although Austinville High School was best known for its basketball prowess (having won 4 state championships under legendary Coaches Joe Jones and Earl Morris), the school’s academics were also noteworthy with many alumni being successful in various fields of endeavor.