Herrera was born in the Mexican city of Camargo, Chihuahua, and not, as he once believed, in El Paso, Texas. His parents died when he was only a year old, and the man he had always thought was his father was really an uncle who had brought the 18-month old Herrera to El Paso to provide him with a better way of life in the United States. This fact was unknown to him until he was 27 years old. Herrera worked as a farm hand in El Paso. He soon moved to Phoenix, Arizona with his wife Ramona and three children, Mary, Elva, Silvestre, Jr. and the uncle he believed to be his father. Herrera was a member of the Texas National Guard, 36th Division. When the United States entered World War II, his unit was to be one of the first to land in Europe. When he broke the news to his family, he was told the truth about his parents’ death and his place of birth.

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We are pleased to have the opportunity to share our programs and the many people that make this school a wonderful learning environment. By moving through the pages listed on the navigation bar you will get a feeling of what it is like to learn and teach in a school that values the arts and encourages the speaking of both English and Spanish. We are located in a community that shares our commitment to bringing the best experiences and opportunities to our students. Our business partners and our activity and program sponsors provide us with the funds and donations that allow us to keep expanding and improving our student offerings.

Herrera is a K-8 elementary school in the heart of Phoenix . A recipient of the Mayor's Award for Excellence in Arts Education and the A+ School of Excellence Award recipient, Herrera is an Arts Signature school in the Phoenix Elementary School District #1. Most of our neighborhood students are Hispanic and many are English language learners. Our students are offered two special programs at Herrera. We have a k-8 Dual Language strand in our academic classes and all of our electives and special area classes focus on the arts. We have two missions' statements that keep us focused on our vision that Herrera students will achieve academic, artistic and linguistic success. At the core of our success is our ability to constantly find ways to integrate and make these three different kinds of puzzle pieces fit together to help us reach the full potential of our students. Our mission graphic may help you visualize the above statement. Overlapping these three areas of focus are the 21st century skills our students will need to be successful. We are an open enrollment school and always look forward to working with new parents and children so please visit us or make an appointment by phone.