Zavala Elementary School opened its doors in 1925, and has been educating the students of south-central El Paso for nearly 100 years. Since its founding, Zavala has grown from a school with eight classrooms to a campus with over 20 classrooms, a cafeteria with a theater stage, computer lab, a multi-purpose center, playground, library, and science lab, with over 50 dedicated faculty and staff members meeting the educational needs of nearly 300 students.

Located only a short distance from the Bridge of the Americas that connects El Paso to Ciudad Juarez, Zavala has a proud tradition of educating largely bilingual and bicultural students. The faculty and staff of Zavala strive to provide high quality instruction and educational opportunities for all Zavala students. Activities such as after-school clubs, the spelling bee, field trips, family engagement events, family nights and school-wide events contribute to students’ personal and academic growth.

Zavala Elementary School is named for General Lorenzo de Zavala, who was born on October 3, 1788 in Tecoh, Yucatan in Mexico. In the 1830s, Zavala became involved in the Texas fight for independence from Mexico and befriended Stephen F. Austin. In 1836, Lorenzo de Zavala became the first Vice President of the Republic of Texas. He was a signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence and an author of the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. He died on November 15, 1836 and is buried in Channelview, Texas.