With a staff of five teachers, Golden Acres Elementary School opened its doors in 1937. R. L. Johnson was selected as the first principal and green and white were chosen as the school colors. Prior to its opening, children rode a bus to Kruse School.
During WWII in 1942, the PTA at the school wanted to help with the war effort. The school and the people of Golden Acres worked together to get a Merit Certificate. Receipt of a Merit Certificate required the completion of three projects, one of which was rolling bandages. In 1955, a new wing was added to the school with the purpose of remodeling the cafeteria and attaching it to the rest of the campus. During the 1962-1963 school year, Hurricane Carla devastated many schools in the Gulf Area. Golden Acres collected funds to give to the Texas City schools to help replace many ruined library books and held a clothing drive for the people who had lost their homes. In 1968, the cafeteria was finally complete, as well as a new library. A drop in enrollment caused Pasadena ISD to consider closing the school in the early 1970s, but the enrollment quickly rose and by 1976, the campus was over capacity with 600 students enrolled. That same year, 25 teachers were on staff and the curriculum included music, kindergarten, bi-lingual learning and physical education. Bobby J. Kelley was the principal.
Several years later in 1995, the Golden Acres Help One Student to Succeed (HOSTS) program began and is still currently active. Through the program, volunteers from the community mentor and read to students once per week. Throughout the years, the Golden Acres First Baptist Church and the Hope Church have also contributed to the school through meals, mentorships, school supplies, and much more.
In 1998, a new campus was constructed for the school at 5232 Sycamore in Pasadena. Classrooms in the new campus were arranged in pods based on grade level, along with five classrooms opening into a common area. In 2013, Golden Acres began the following programs: Grizzly Soldiers, Student Counsel, Watch Dogs, Backpack Buddies (a partnership with the Houston Food Bank), High School Student Mentors, Paw Store, monthly school-wide family assemblies, and Jump for George. During the 2017-2018 school year, the school received all five distinctions from the TEA. In 2020, the school’s third-grade students earned the highest math scores in the district through the Dreambox learning platform. During the 2020-2021 school year, the school began the Personalized Learning Program for all fourth-grade students.
The school currently serves around 393 students in pre-kindergarten through fourth grade and offers the Bilingual Program for all grade levels.
List of Principals
- RL Johnson 1937-1994
- Carroll Teague 1944-1945
- AC Dowell 1945-1948
- Scott Cockrell 1948-1949
- Paul Cauthen 1949-1953
- Frank Crocker 1953-1954
- Jack McCoy 1954-1955
- Glen White 1955-1960
- John Austin 1960-1961
- John Lowe 1961-1969
- Ruth Ruff 1969-1970
- Jack Harvey 1970-1975
- Bob Kelley 1975- 1995
- Judy Williams 1995-2001
- Gloria Chomenko 2001-2013
- Lisa Davis 2013-2021
- Edgar Lopez 2021-2022
- Amy Clowers 2022 - Present
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