Murchison Middle School: Home of the Matadors
Murchison Middle School opened the fall of 1967 on the 23.6 acre site of a former rock quarry. The original 112,000 ft2 building was planned to accommodate 1,000 students in 39 teaching stations. The school expanded in 1999 to include 14 additional classrooms. There have been minor improvements over the years, however in January 2021, Murchison opened up the new 3-story 6th grade center as well as new admin offices and Library.
Murchison is proud to be a member of the global network of IB World Schools. As the only IB MYP World School in Austin ISD, Murchison is dedicated to offering our students balanced and rigorous coursework that prepares them to become engaged citizens of the world. Our students drive inquiry, strive for multilingualism, participate in interdisciplinary study, and are committed to giving back through community service that is lead by students to improve our school and community.
Campus highlights include:
- on-campus wildlife habitat, working student and community gardens
- high school credit world language courses in six languages (Chinese, French, German, Latin, Spanish, and Vietnamese)
- award-winning Fine Arts program with a multitude of choices
- highly certified AVID program
- argument-driven inquiry in laboratory sciences
- National and World competitive Robotics program
- championship-level Athletics
- high school credit CTE Pathways courses aligned with Anderson HS
- National Board Certified Teachers and Librarian
- variety of student leadership opportunities including Equity, SEL, & Leadership Teams
Meet E.A. Murchison, 1873-1964
Born on a farm in Bastrop in 1873, Eugene Alexander Murchison lived there for 25 yrs, attending schools at Cedar Creek and Bastrop. From 1894-1898, Mr. Murchison taught in rural schools in Bastrop County. After working in a general merchandise store at Del Valle and serving with the First Texas Volunteer Infantry in the Spanish- American War, he moved to Austin in 1905 to become a partner in the grocery firm of Caldwell-Murchison-Lee Company. He remained in the grocery business until ‘retiring’ in 1935.
EA Murchison spent his adult life in this community serving youth to an extent which is not likely to be matched by any man in any age. Although he had two sons of his own, he gave countless hours of his time in the service of young people-especially boys-with the result that many Austin citizens remember him as a father figure. Following is just a short list of the kinds of services he performed which creatively touched the lives of so many:
- member of the Austin School Board for 24 yrs, 1919-1943, including 6 yrs as VP and 17 yrs as President
- Sunday School teacher of 7th grade boys at First Methodist Church for about 45 yrs (age 40-85)
- Scoutmaster of Austin’s BSA Troop 2 for 14 yrs (1920-1934)
- Travis County Probation Officer for 13 yrs (1935-1948)
Many awards were presented to Mr. Murchison, including: Austin School Board’s Citation for Service Award, Austin rotary Club’s Distinguished Community Service Award, and the Texas Heritage Foundation’s Distinguished Service Medal.