Colin L Powell Elementary School

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: May 24, 2026

My child was preforming at a 1st grade level at this school and bullied regularly. The principal is so rude and inconsiderate. I asked multiple times for my child to be moved classes and she consistently refused. I sent emails, had meetings, phone calls, everything, because my child was NOT learning or safe in the class she was placed in. We moved schools and BAM my child had a 93% academic growth and is now preforming on grade level (3rd). Only go here if you want to set your child up for failure. Worst school ever!!

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: May 24, 2026

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: November 9, 2025

Just moved here and on our second day my 6 year old was found by me outside of the front gates with lots of people after school lost! They are not supposed to be out with you showing a card first. Also on first day when I dropped all three of my kids off their were no teachers in hall ways that morning and my kids where lost so I took them to the front and questioned the family specialist why was there no one there, when y’all said someone would be there to help them get to class? She was so rude did not smile said there’s always someone there didn’t apologize, even when I just said there’s always is no one there. We are military family and they show no respect for us as parents or keep our children safe. The next follows days the family specialist was rude to me and tried to embarrass me in front of people. Also my son has an iep and he is not getting any help he needs and they expect him to do a science project on his own with no help and he is still struggling to read. He says his teacher keeps telling him to read in front of the whole class knowing he can’t read, embarrassingly him! I don’t know what to do and then they don’t provide buses for our kids because they think it’s close because we are next to the school and are military. Blows my mind because we still are walking 12 minutes there and 12 minutes back! Some people have to walk even farther and it’s hard for me as an adult imagine the kids! I think it’s horrible that the school is on a military development but won’t accommodate for our military children??? It’s not ok and buses should be provided and safety needs to be implemented and all needs to be held accountable! My first day I walked in and heard them say “yea we kidnap children “ my fourth day it was a small boy in the office and 5 staff members said who’s this and laughed and said who are you? Where you supposed to be? Who’s your teacher? Is his mom supposed to pick him up?? They said I don’t know! They all seem to know nothing didn’t really care! These are our children and they don’t respect our family who are sacrificing even for them . I hope there will be no relation for this but this needs to be said.

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: November 9, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

Posted: August 12, 2025

My child attended this school for just over 1.5 school years. The entire time she was bullied and had minimal support. The first year they were evacuating the class room weekly due to students (1st grade) throwing chairs and trying to beat up the teacher. Our family received death threats each year from fellow students. My daughter was shoved to the ground at one point. At another point she had liquid Expo eraser sprayed in her eyes. Really every week it was a new issue. I requested multiple times for her to be in a different class with different students and we were consistently told no and victim blamed. There’s no accountability or compassion on their end. Don’t trust them with your child.

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

Posted: May 21, 2021

We have been home for about over a year now with this pandemic, and my son's 5th-grade dual-language teacher Mrs. Ramirez has been amazing in making sure she finds ways to teach her kids the best she can remotely. I am grateful my son has been developing academically despite being online. I cannot speak for the rest of the school teachers. This review is particularly for her because it's heartwarming to see when teachers are proactive about their classroom and the children's education. Thanks again for helping my kid have a smooth transition to the sixth grade, he feels confident to move on. Continue to do an incredible job, we definitely need more teachers with your passion. Stay safe!

Posted: August 31, 2020

We were so excited to be moving to the El Paso area from the Louisiana area. We thought finally our kids were going to get the education that we wanted. We thought that we were finally going to get the resources that they needed and we wouldn't have to fight tooth and nail like were having to do in Fort Polk. We were very sadly mistaken. It has been super frustrating especially since we already had a 504 in place that our son had with a diagnosis from a pediatric psychiatrist we thought it was going to be smooth sailing. Yeah it's been a freaking nightmare. Not only has our sons grades declined, but we have had to fight even harder for him to get the resources that he had in Louisiana plus what we knew he qualified for here. We understand COVID has slowed down some of the evaluations, but it shouldn't have slowed them down by 12 months...our son is even further behind than he was when we got here. I can't even express how frustrated and let down we feel by this school and by EPISD. We already can't wait to leave this duty station behind just due to the horrible school system. It's a shame. Please parents, do not consider this school if you have children that need special accommodations, this school will only add to your frustration and give you huge headaches.

Posted: August 31, 2020

I really feel that they do give the right amount of homework.

Posted: August 31, 2020

You have a few great teachers but then you have the rest. You really have to almost harass the teachers to get them to communicate with you. If you have a child that has a 504 or an IEP, please, please, please run away from this school... you will have nothing but issues. They wanted to fail my son last year when we transferred in from Louisiana and he was very behind, then COVID hit and he has ADHD on top of other learning issues. His teacher told us as parents he wouldn't benefit from being held back, but then told the school and principal that she recommended retention. She was hardly ever at school and when she was there, my son never learned anything, he learned far more from his substitute's. The teachers were horrible about following the 504's and IEP's unless you made them.

Posted: August 31, 2020

I have seen where they allow bullying of their students. This Is totally unacceptable in every way, shape and form. This makes me sick to my stomach and I hope it embarrasses the entire school to have these kind of reviews put out there of their school.

Posted: August 31, 2020

I wish I could choose the Strongly Disagree button more than once. The administration is a complete joke. The principal knew nothing about my child or his academic issues when he spoke with us. He has so many complaints against him that I don't see how he even still works in education, let alone is allowed to continue on as a Principal of a school. The teachers and admin. staff show up minutes before the kids do or even after the students do. The front desk staff has always given me issues. This is the first school that has ever asked me to provide documentation for them to speak to my husband (my kids step father) when it comes to anything -even though he is the sponsor and that's how they are even able to attend their school. If I didn't have to have a full time job I would've already pulled both my kids out of their school.

Posted: August 31, 2020

It has taken over a year to have my son who came in with a 504, get put on an IEP for ADHD, diagnosed by a pediatric psychiatrist no less. I had to call the school board in because we were literally getting nowhere with it, meanwhile his grades were suffering and slipping and they were wanting to hold him back because of it...no way. After involving the school board and almost a complete year, things are finally starting to improve so that he can start to get the support and services he needs to finally be successful. Again, please run FAR AWAY if you have a child with a 504 or IEP. This isn't the school you want them at.

Posted: August 31, 2020

They will not appropriately deal with the bullying unless you threaten to take action against the school. It's horrible.

Posted: December 29, 2019

Awful. The female crossing guard has continuously been using her cellphone while children are crossing the street. Called the school, spoke to the military liaison and she could careless. They also delete reviews that show pictures of the crossing guard on her phone. Recently at another elementary school a child died while crossing the street so I really think parent concerns should be taken more seriously.

Posted: December 29, 2019

Posted: December 29, 2019

Posted: December 29, 2019

Posted: December 29, 2019

Posted: December 29, 2019

Posted: December 29, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

Posted: October 1, 2019

I wanted to give this school a better score, but no. Unfortunately, not all teachers really know what to do with students. I can't say anything bad about kindergarten, but first-grade teachers... I don't recommend.

Posted: December 5, 2016

Posted: December 5, 2016

Posted: December 5, 2016

Posted: December 5, 2016

Posted: December 5, 2016

Posted: December 5, 2016

Posted: December 5, 2016

So unorganized. Our child is in the gifted program and its close to average. Doing work she did in the previous grade at a different school.

Posted: June 5, 2015

Open QuoteMr V, the principal of the school, has very high expectations of his students and tries hard to help them achieve those standards. He appears to care deeply about the whole child, and I take comfort in that. Life is not ONLY about college and grades, it's also very much about character.

Things are a work in progress, so if you have concerns please don't sit on them or vent on facebook pages. Be proactive as a parent at least with your child's teachers. Talk with school officials to get your questions answered and take the appropriate steps to getting the school the help it needs in those areas of concern.

My opinion of positives include frequent and many field trips, school dances, celebrations. I have found staff to be caring and helpful for the most part. The school is neat and clean and decorated in a way that appeals to children. In general, the tone of the school is bright and uplifting.

I do feel Powell would do well to establish a kindness code and have teachers so knowledgeable that they can quote it and apply it to students. Behavioral issues need attention, but nothing that training and follow-up can't handle. Curriculum is based on the state of Texas, and my opinion of that is not final. Some aspects are fantastic, others are ridiculous, but again it is a TEXAS issue, not Powell.

I feel this was (is) a safe school for my child. I taught my kids basic problem solving techniques, and I feel there was nothing this past year that wasn't something she couldn't handle. That is not to say everyone else's experience was like ours, but many people I talk to agree with me. I should note my child was a 5th grader.

Visit the school, talk to people and base your decision on that interaction. So many negatives I'd read about I never experienced at Powell, and a few positives I hadn't either.Close Quote

Posted: July 10, 2014

This is a good school. I see so many complains from parents but the truth is that must do not involve as much as they should in their kids education. Every time the school have something called Coffee with the principal which is once every month. You only see the same few faces showing. This is the time where you can say all your concerns if any and be heard. The principal tries to do his best but his efforts are often shorten by parents and other staff members. I feel that this school is needing uniforms as well. This will diminish bulling and improving academic results by telling the kids when they wear that uniform is time to learn not to talk about the princess in their shirt or the superhero movie coming on. The propose for uniform was denied by parents and yet they have a concern about somebody bulling their kids because their clothes look ugly or old, or their hair is messy.. Parents have to assume responsibility as well as the staff members. We need to work together and stop pointing fingers and giving complains without a positive solution! This year my son had an excellent teacher who help him archive his honor roll. I am looking forward to the next school year !

Posted: January 23, 2014

This school isn't bad however, some changes could improve it. Physical violence among the students is high. There is nothing for the 3-5 graders to exert there physical energy outside. The PE program is a joke. Administration is nice however, they could enforce rules more and let the children and parents know there are consequences for breaking rules. This school really needs more parent involvement. This could be a great school however, there are definite obstacles in the way.

Posted: November 19, 2013

Lots of bullying going on, it gets pushed under the rug by the faculty here, also the MPs working during the pickup and drop off time have yelled and threatened myself and several other parents! Very unorganized, and barely any parking! BUT so far great experience with the kinder teachers! No complaints there.

Posted: October 28, 2013

My daughter attends Colin Powell Elementary and have never had more teachers at one time ,show so much interest in assuring my daughter succeed! Great teachers, staff and principal!

Posted: September 16, 2013

I was highly unsatisfied with the school. A large portion of the way they operate is highly unorganized. They have too many kids in each class, 27 in some of the lower grades even, and have no solution for any of it. The VP was walking around campus for weeks and conducted herself in such a manner that I honestly thought she was just a school monitor. The principal is less than concerned with the students and is more focused on running the school as a business. The teachers are not redeeming either. Most have had issues arise with parents and the common solution is to put a band aid on it by just conferencing. I would not place my child in this school next year and advise others that fall under boundaries for it to see out a different school.

Posted: August 24, 2012

My child attended last year and we had an awesome year. His teacher truly cared about him and the other students in the class. Small classes, 15 to 1. I was informed daily of his behavior and was kept updated on what they were learning in class. My child was always excited for the next day, was disappointed if it was a weekend or a school holiday. Only thing keeping it from a 5 star was one incident where I was not properly informed of an accident on the playground, that was rectified by a call to the VP and was always informed after that. My opinion is the staff is outstanding. I look forward to the new school year. No comment on parent involvement as I was not at the school daily as I am also a full-time student and work.

Posted: February 16, 2012

parking dropoff and pickup is awful... you rarely get fliers telling you of upcoming events. I have missed parades and things I typically wouldn't have missed had I been aware. The school had bullying problems that we dealt with my little 5 year old but as soon as the v.p. became aware of situation he put an end to it very quickly. Discussing bullying with his teacher was a waste of time but going straight to the v.p. was great. He pulled in all kids acused of bulllying and all so called victims... Problem was handled well by mr. adams. Teachers are great when it comes to education... My son has come a long way.

Posted: January 5, 2012

This is the most disconnected school I've had to deal with. They do not care if your child has special needs and there is no funding for a teacher's aide. Classes are overcrowded and it's ridiculous that PK only has bilingual classrooms. It really threw my child off having to listen to that as he only speak English. The curriculum for this school is also minimal. find a good private school in the area if you can afford one before sending your child to this school.

Posted: August 28, 2011

I know this school year has just started, but so far my son's Kindergarten teacher is wonderful. He comes home every day very happy and tells me about all the things that were taught for the day. His teacher ensures the children are being respectful and behaving appropriately, and uses a rewards system for good behavior. She even told me that she would challenge him individually if he needed extra stimulation. My son attended a different EPISD school last year, and was always getting into trouble and had a terrible attitude when I picked him up (due to a conflict with the teacher's aide). So I give 4 thumbs up to Powell. The parking is horrific, and you have to leave really early to get a decent spot on the street. Registration took entirely too long, as only 1 person does registration. I met the interium principal and she seemed nice, but I don't know who the new one will be (hince the 3 stars). I am not sure how involved parents are just yet either. Only time will tell. There is supervision on the playground before school and in the cafeteria. I don't see any bullying during the morning hours, and many parents wait with their children until it's time to line up.

Posted: July 31, 2011

Parking is horrible- truly a nightmare. The teachers my twins had said the Gifted and Talented Program was a waste and i couldn't ever go to any events because we never received fliers or announcements. my opinion, shut this school down

Posted: June 4, 2011

My children loved there teachers we had problems with some issues with some of the students(bullying)but felt it was dealt with approp. I agree they do need more supervision while out of recess. The principal made sure that things got taken care of and kept us up to date on any issues.

Posted: June 1, 2011

This has been the worse school so far. Last year was the first year opened it didn't have books for kids in class or library. This year we are dealing with bullying on a daily basis and school does nothing about it. Teacher never return emails I DISLIKE this school

Posted: May 31, 2011

Worse school for kids. The bullying is ridiculous. My son is in kinder and has came home with bruises and was told that "it's not bullying. its normal". They do not punish the bullies but the victim. There is not enough staff. The PE coach is the worse. He tells the kids "I don't have time for your little issues". At the beginning of the school year there was an incident where a volunteer put their hands on one of the kids. Thankfully after a lot of fighting that got resolved. The only thing I really enjoy about this school is my son's kinder teacher.