Austin Elementary School stands as San Antonio´s oldest school in continuous operation.  Named for the Texas pioneer, Stephen F. Austin Elementary School opened in 1878 with four rooms and a schoolyard.  Since then, the classic limestone school had been on the forefront of many education trends.  In 1912, Austin introduced a special education class, almost 40 years before the state legislature passed a special education law.  In 1951, Austin inaugurated the Austin Opportunity School.  The program, the first of its kind in the state, offered training to special education students ages 6 through 21.  The program was disconnected in 1992.

The daughter of a freed slave, Artemisia Bowden was born in Albany, Georgia in 1879.  In 1902, she began teaching at St. Phillip´s School, then an Episcopal day school for African-American girls.  During her 52-year tenure at the school, Ms. Bowden devoted herself to the institution´s advancement.  Eventually named school president, she oversaw the school´s move from La Villita to San Antonio´s east side and its achievement of junior college status.  Upon her retirement in 1954, Ms. Bowden summed up her lifetime of work by stating, "My dream is reality".

Atemisia Bowden Elementary School opened in 1971, two years after Ms. Bowden´s death.

Bowie opened as School #9 in 1893 at the corner of Colorado and Lopez, now Arbor Place.  In May 1902, the school was named after James Bowie, a hero in the Texas Revolution and inventor of the knife that bears his name.  Significant construction was completed in 1916, 1928, 1945, and 1966 to meet the needs of a growing enrollment.

The school began in 1912 as Hot Wells School in a two-room framed building on Dullnig Court.  In 1914, land was donated for a new facility and by 1915 a new building was completed.  An auditorium was built in 1937 and the school was remodeled.  Wilbur B. Connell joined the Hot Wells School District in 1934.  In 1950, he became principal of the school when Hot Wells was annexed into SAISD.  He served in that capacity until 1957.  In April 1964, the SAISD School Board re-named the school to honor this well-respected educator.

The School first opened at the Japhet Opportunity School for physically disabled children in 1945 at 305 Austin St.  The school served students up to the 12th grade.

It was named after Eloise Japhet, a community advocate who supported the education and well-being of physically disabled children.

In 1964, Japhet was moved to a new building at its present location.  Following a major project to redraw school attendance boundaries throughout the SAISD, Japhet enrolled its first non-disabled students in the fall of 1990 and became Eloise Japhet Elementary School.

Dorie Miller Elementary School opened as W.W. White School No. 2 in 1947 at its present location in a two-room frame building brought from Hondo, Texas.  As part of the W.W. White School District, the school was opened to serve the African-American children who lived in the Lincolnshire community.   It had two classrooms, 64 students and two teacher who taught grades first through seventh.  At one of the first PTA meetings, the officers and members chose to name the school for naval hero Dorie Miller, who died in the line of duty during World War II.  The Waco native's heroism earned him the distinction of being the first African-American recipient of the Navy Cross.

In 1950, the W.W. White School District merged with the SAISD.  The original brick building opened n 1952 and included 17 classrooms, a cafetorium, principal's office, secretary's office, a clinic, a book room and tow lounges for teachers.  In the 1950's the school also served physically and mentally disabled children.  In 1960, eight more classrooms were added to the building.

By the 1967-68 school year, pre-school classes and a library were established.  Student enrollment was at 880.  Today, the enrollment is at 332 students and is expected to increase soon when the nearby Spring View housing community re-opens.

Pershing, originally named William T. Harris School, and School No. 17, opened in 1905 at 1307 Van Ness St., now the site of the Southbound IH-35 service road between Walters St. and New Braunfels Ave.  In its early years, the school was often called Government Hill School because of its proximity to Fort Sam Houston.  The name was changed to John H. Pershing in 1939 to honor the World War I general who had been stationed at Fort Sam Houston.  The school opened at its present site in 1959 when a portion of the original school´s campus was used to construct IH-35.

Smith Elementary School began in 1895 as South Heights School in a one-room building at Preston and New Braunfels Avenue.  It also was called "Miss Preston´s School" after Emma M. Preston, the principal and only teacher.

Because a larger facility was needed, students began the fall 1899 term in rented classroom space in a Presbyterian Church at the corner of Ferguson and Nebraska (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard).

In 1903, a two-story, four-room red brick school building was constructed on the northwest corner of Iowa and S. Gevers.  The school was named after two Texas patriots and participants in the Battle of San Jacinto.  Smith was also called School No. 15.

P.F. Stewart Elementary School is celebrating its 80th anniversary with the dedication of new facilities.

The school opened as the Covington School in 1922 to children in the W.W. White School District who lived west of Salado Creek.  Named after a nearby park, the school was at Sulphur Springs and Gonzales roads, now Roland and Rigsby avenues, about two blocks from the present school.

By 1933 enrollment was so large that a new building had to be constructed.  The new school, named after longtime Bexar County Superintendent P.F. Steward, opened at 1950 Rigsby Ave. and served grades two to ten.  In 1948, grades nine and ten were moved from Stewart to Sam Houston High School.  The first grade was then moved to Stewart and the Covington School was closed.

The school joined the San Anotnio Independent School District in 1950.  Throughout the years, facilities have been added and renovated to meet the needs of a growing student population. 

Opened in 1898, William B. Travis Elementary School was named for the Texas commander of the Battle of the Alamo.  The school opened at its current site as a four-room, two-story brick structure.  A majority of the students transferred from Stephen F. Austin Elementary.

Wheatley, named for the 18th century African-American poet, opened as a high school in 1932-33 to serve African-American students.  The campus closed at the end of the 1969-70 school year.  In 1972, Emerson Middle School was relocated to the Wheatley site from Pine Street.  The Wheatley name was transferred to a new school that opened in 1974, on the site of Brackenridge High School, located near the King William area.

In 1988, the Emerson name was removed from the school and the Philis Wheatley name was restored to the East Side campus.  At the same time, the Wheatley High School name was dropped from the King William area campus and that school again became Brackenridge High School.

Classes at W.W. White Elementary School started under a large tree on the banks of Saldo Creek in the late 1800´s.  The first building was completed in 1880 as a two-room schoolhouse and was named after the owner of the land surrounding the school.  In 1950, W.W. White joined SAISD and added seven new classrooms and a cafeteria.  In 1958, 14 more classrooms were constructed to house the increading enrollment which had reached 1,161.  Today the enrollment is at 615.

Woodrow Wilson was part of the Los Angeles Heights School District when it opened.  The original building was of stucco and included six classrooms.  The school grew so rapidly that in 1936 and in 1947 more classrooms were added to the building.

Wilson joined the San Antonio Independent School District in 1949.  In 1951, more classroom space was added along with  a bookroom, clinic, and cafeteria.  Enrollment at that time was about 800.  Over the years, two elementary schools were built to help relieve the enrollment.

The school is named after the 28th president of the United States who served from 1913 to 1921.

Named after the community it serves, Highland Park Elementary School opened in the fall of 1914.  At the time it was called, "the most complete and modern school in all San Antonio."  At a cost of $38,000 to build, it was touted for having "all classrooms lightened from the left with one hundred windows...having the latest in adjustable shades." The "modern system of ventilating and thermometers in room to automaticall adjust heating" were considered state-of-the-art.

The school began at the turn of the 20th century as Waite Academy at Neer Avenue and Olmos Drive.  In 1915 it was moved to its present site and renamed Los Angeles Heights School for the school district in which it was located.  The school included high school students from 1924 until 1929 when the upper grades were moved to the then new Los Angeles Heights High School (now Whittier Middle School).  Students then voted unanimouslty to rename it Benjamin Franklin Elementary.  In 1949 the school became part of SAISD.