Akins High School (Austin ISD): Ratings, Zone & Homes in 78748
Akins High School is a large public high school (grades 9-12) in the Manchaca area of South Austin's 78748, part of Austin ISD. It is the zoned high school for a big, affordable stretch of South Austin, from Slaughter Creek and Onion Creek to Bluff Springs, and it serves a diverse student body through a set of career and college academy programs. Here's the honest picture: the ratings, the numbers, the schools that feed it, and what being zoned to Akins means for your home search.
Is Akins High School a good school?
Here's the straight read. Akins is a large comprehensive high school with a 92% graduation rate, a touch above the Austin ISD average, and a broad set of career and college academy programs for a school its size. On Niche it grades B- overall. Its test-based proficiency runs below the district average, reading around 44% and math around 22% (versus 54% and 41% district-wide), and it serves a student body with higher economic need, with about 64% of students in the free-lunch program. Those numbers reflect the community it serves as much as the school itself, and they matter differently for every family. My job isn't to tell you a school is good or bad, it's to give you the real data, map the exact zone, and help you weigh the assigned school against your priorities and your options.
Akins High School by the numbers
| Metric | Akins | Austin ISD |
|---|---|---|
| Overall grade (Niche) | B- | A- |
| Graduation rate | 92% | 91% |
| Reading proficiency | 44% | 54% |
| Math proficiency | 22% | 41% |
| Average SAT | 1080 | 1240 |
| Average ACT | 19 | 28 |
| Average GPA | 3.22 | 3.37 |
| Students per teacher | 16:1 | 15:1 |
| Total enrollment | 2,542 | 72,830 |
| Teacher grade (Niche) | B- | A |
Source: Niche via RPR (Realtors Property Resource), 2026. Niche compiles the letter grades from U.S. Dept. of Education data, community reviews, and other sources, and updates quarterly. Figures change, so I confirm the current numbers when they matter to your decision.
The one number that tends to surprise people is the graduation rate: at 92%, Akins actually edges the district. The proficiency and test scores sit below the Austin ISD average, which is worth knowing honestly, and it's also why the specific academy or program a student lands in, and the individual teachers, can matter more here than the headline grade.
What feeds into Akins
Akins sits at the end of several South Austin attendance paths. Students arrive from a group of neighborhood elementaries through their zoned middle school:
Which elementary and middle a home feeds through depends on the exact address, and the high-school endpoint for this part of South Austin is Akins. Because the zone is large and boundaries can shift, I always confirm the current elementary, middle, and high school for a specific address before you write an offer. For a fuller look at the area, see my living in 78748 guide.
Homes in the Akins High School zone
Akins serves a large, relatively affordable slice of South Austin, including Manchaca, Slaughter Creek, Onion Creek, Bluff Springs, and Bradshaw Crossing, spanning parts of 78748, 78745, 78747, and 78744. For a lot of buyers this is where the South Austin math works: more house for the money, still inside the city, with newer pockets mixed in. If schools are a priority, I map the zone street by street, because the assigned high school can change from one neighborhood to the next. For the full picture of this area, see my 78748 living guide, plus the 78745 and 78747 guides next door.
The assigned school is one factor, not the whole story. Two homes a few streets apart can feed different schools, and in a large zone like Akins the specific program a student joins often matters more than the overall grade. I give you the real data and the exact assignment for any address, so you're deciding on facts, not on a listing's school label, which is often out of date.
How to confirm your address is zoned to Akins
Use Austin ISD's official boundary lookup. The district publishes a find-my-school tool where you enter an address and it returns the assigned elementary, middle, and high school. That's the source of truth, not the real estate listing, which can carry outdated school data.
Or ask me. Send me an address or a neighborhood you're considering and I'll confirm whether it's in the Akins zone, pull the current elementary and middle school, and flag anything, like a boundary that's about to change, that affects your decision.
Buying in the Akins zone?
Tell me what matters most and I'll build your search around it. Start with the 78748 living guide for the lay of the land, the Central Texas school districts guide for how the zones fit together, and the South Austin relocation guide if you're moving to the area. When you're ready to look at homes, here's how buying in South Austin works.
Akins High School FAQ
What district is Akins High School in?+
Is Akins High School a good school?+
What neighborhoods are zoned to Akins High School?+
What schools feed into Akins High School?+
How big is Akins High School?+
How do I find out if a home is zoned to Akins?+
Central Texas is the market I know best. With 175+ closed deals since 2016 across South Austin, Buda, Kyle, and Bastrop, and named a FastExpert 2026 Top Agent, I've guided buyers and sellers through every kind of move this side of Austin.
Matching a home to its real school zone, and its real tax picture, is second nature for me. If you're buying in the Akins zone or any Central Texas school, I'll give you a straight, local read so you can decide with confidence.
Last updated: September 2026. School ratings and boundaries change, so confirm the current figures and assignment for any specific address.
