Austin's insignia displays a bishop's mitre at the top, referring to the episcopal status of St. Augustine of Hippo, patron of the Augustinians.

The lily and pelican are perhaps borrowed from the crest of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, which stands on the site of the 13th-Century priory of the Austin Friars.

[2] A pelican, which in medieval legend fed her young with her own blood and so came to represent the Holy Eucharist, also appears in the crest of the Augustinian saint, Thomas of Villanova.

[6] Austin was accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools,[7] and had chapters of the National Honors Society and Quill and Scroll.

Austin offered a range of varsity sports, including cross country, football, basketball, baseball, golf, tennis, track and field, swimming, and ice hockey.

[9] Austin was barred from fielding any level of football for the 1965 season, after a number of players and coaches were caught in an illegal pre-season practice in Sarnia, Ontario, in violation of Catholic High School League rules.

As late as July 1977, Austin was advertising in a metropolitan-Detroit-wide newspaper for applicants for grades 9–12, touting its college prep curriculum and art and music programs, among other attractions.

[17] In late October 1977, however, the faculty and students were surprised by a letter from the Midwest Province of the Augustinians, announcing that the school would be closed the following year.

The committee met with representatives of the Augustinians, and reportedly came away with a promise that the parents could lease the school if they committed to keeping their sons enrolled.

"[19] In March 1978, however, the Augustinian Provincial Council in Chicago rejected the promise of a lease, instead demanding that the property be purchased at market value, estimated to be over two million dollars.

Speaking for the Archdiocese, John Cardinal Dearden, the archbishop of Detroit, said "We deeply regret the outcome of the discussions [with the Augustinian Provincial Council].

By 2005, Austin's brother-institution Notre Dame high school had also closed due to declining enrollment from its east-side catchment area.

The renovated former Austin building now houses Riverview Health & Rehab Center North, which offers short-term rehabilitation and long-term skilled nursing care.