809 Cortijo Dr
El Paso, TX 79912

Great school. Set me up for success. I highly recommend it.

We have really enjoyed our year at Rivera. My son is excited about school and enjoys his classmates and teachers. I appreciate that it is a smaller school and the staff seems to know all the students. I was sad when they had a few kids transfer out the second week and they went from two kinders of 15 kids each to one kinder class of 25, I know it is a public school and they have to use resources in the best way but bummed that it went from such a small class to such a large one in a matter of days. The crosswalk guards, the cafeteria and recess monitors all know our sons name and take the time to say hi to him and all the students as they arrive at school. They all seem to be so cheerful and it really begins his day on a high note being welcomed to the school like that. I will say we have had no special attention or needs and I am not sure if those things are handled well or not here, I have heard mixed reviews from friends who have needed special services. I do love that it has a small school feel and helpful staff. The things I am disappointed about (Side bar if we were not moving this summer I would get more involved and I did attempt to join the PTA but after the first virtual meeting I never heard anything additional) I am sad that we haven't had one fieldtrip, one class party where I could participate or come in to be a room mom, no field day, no muffins with mom, no parents involved dances (these are things I have seen at other elementary schools in EPISD). I am sure these are things that are so dependent on volunteers and I know the lady who is running the PTA just started to organize this year so hopefully that will change but I was def. jealous and bummed that I felt like I didn't have anyway to participate in the school activities and or the lack of them. Overall I would still have picked this school. We are in walking distance, and I loved walking him to and from school each day and my close proximity for when he has been sick etc. I do still think he has learned SO much and appreciate the school staff that pours into him each day.

I am writing this review with my son to include his honest feedback.As a parent, I am very happy with the school and the academic program they provide. I feel like my son is advancing at a good pace and his teachers pursue excellence and have robust communication with parents with regards to school events and academic performance. When deciding to enroll at Hornado I did extensive research comparing this school with other junior high schools in the El Paso area, and Hornado stood out for its high percentage of student, students meeting math science, and reading proficiencies, which was important to me.From my son‘s perspective the strengths of the school are:1) the music program- they have a fantastic band/orchestra/choir.2) the teachers stand out for their willingness to help before and after school, if a student is struggling with a concept which shows they truly care.Weaknesses of the school include occasional overly harsh punishments for small misdemeanors such as forgetting student IDs, also the traffic for pick up and drop off. There seems to be a very small group of troublemakers that sometimes get into fights, but that doesn’t seem to spill over into the general student body or cause issues such as bullying in my son’s opinion (6th grader).Overall, we are very happy here and I would recommend the school others.