The school was originally named after Earnest H. Anderson, who served as principal of Prairie View Normal Institution from 1879 to 1885. In 1938, it was renamed for his brother, L. C. Anderson, who served as the school's principal from 1896 to 1929. The school served as Austin's East Side high school, serving the city's African American population from 1889 until 1971. The original Anderson was housed at four different locations before it was closed in 1971 as part of desegregation efforts, the current high school was opened in 1973 at its present site.
Previous locations: • 1889–1908: Corner of San Marcos St and East 11th St • 1908–1913: Olive St (became an elementary school until late 1940s) • 1913–1953: Corner of Pennsylvania Ave and Comal St (site of present day Kealing Middle School, building burned in the 1980s) • 1953–1971: 900 Thompson St (later served as AISD's Alternative Learning Center, building was demolished and reopened as the new site of
Eastside Early College High School in 2021 ==Athletics==