Stephen F. Austin High School opened in 1930. The school was designed by Texas contractor and architect Robert E. McKee. During construction of the school the funds ran out. Robert E. McKee donated the necessary funds to complete the school, so due to his efforts and support, the school’s football stadium was named after McKee in his honor. The R.E. McKee Construction Company built the school and used a classic Spanish architecture. The structure is surmounted by a 103-foot tower. The classrooms have marble floors and the hallway floors are covered with terrazzo.
There have been many additions to the campus since the original building was completed.
| 1936 | A football stadium was added. This stadium was named after Robert E. McKee, the contractor who built the school and stadium. |
| 1942 | Construction began for an addition to the school. Thirty classrooms were added to the high school and another thirty classrooms were built as a Junior High School. |
| 1943 | New Junior High School opens to students in September. |
| 1945 | Bleachers on the east side of the stadium were condemned after several students were injured. |
| 1946 | Permanent seats erected. |
| 1947 | Addition was dedicated during Cathedral-Austin football game, the first to be played in the stadium. |
| 1954 | East side of the stadium was outfitted with new locker rooms and other amenities; the varsity baseball team was the first group to utilize the new facilities. |
| 1956 | 25 additional classrooms added to the junior high. |
| 1978 | New building erected in the quadrangle to house a library on the first floor and science classrooms on the second floor. |
| 1998 | New main gymnasium was dedicated (the Panther Activity Center or PAC). Memphis Street was closed between Byron and Stevens and parking was added to both sides of the new gym. |
| 2005-2006 | Austin High School is celebrating its 75th anniversary, as our Class of 1956 celebrates its 50th. |
| 2022 | The El Paso Independent School District completed a $25.1-million cosmetic improvements to the campus, new LED lighting, HVAC system replacement, roof upgrades and the replacement of windows. Additionally, the new 350-seat Performing Arts Center also includes a band room, orchestra room, and a multipurpose room. Austin’s courtyard also received its share of upgrades with new landscaping, new seating areas and an outdoor amphitheater. |