Red Elementary's doors opened in 1957, offering Kindergarten through sixth grade. Mr. Sloan was appointed Red's first principal. First grade had about 150 pupils in five classes. At one time, the school held almost 1,600 students, but is now home to 600 culturally diverse students. 

In 1986, Red became the Math, Science, and Technology Magnet. In 2012, the engineering component was added, making Red the STEM school it is today.  

Many upgrades have been made to the school since 1957. The school was remodeled in 1990 and again in 2004. In 2008, wireless technology was installed.

In March 2007, City Council Member Anne Clutterbuck, recognized Red Elementary School’s 50th birthday at a city council meeting. The principal, PTO president, and magnet coordinator were all invited to the podium. Council Member Clutterbuck stated that Red Elementary was a magnet school established in honor of Dr. Samuel Clark Red. Dr. Red served on the Houston School Board for 17 years and was the first president of the Harris County Medical Society. It was declared by the City Council that Red Elementary provided a tremendous education and therefore presented a Proclamation proclaiming March 27, 2007, as S. C. Red Elementary School Day in Houston, Texas.  

Our Distinguished Alumni
Vince Young, NFL Quarterback
City Councilman, Mark Goldberg
The Children of Councilwoman Eleanor Tinsley  

Our Namesake
RED, SAMUEL CLARK (1861-1940) – Our school is named for a prominent local physician, best known for establishing the first hospital and ambulance service in Houston. Dr. Red also served on the HISD Board of Education. We are proud to bear the name of this exemplary pioneer in the field of medicine and in service to our community. We strive to carry on his tradition of pioneering, innovation and service. 

Samuel Clark Red, physician and author, was the son of Dr. George Clark and Rebecca (Stuart) Red, born in Gay Hill, Washington County, Texas, in 1861. He attended Austin College and Washington and Lee University and, in 1885, was the first student to receive a B.A. from the University of Texas. He graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1887 and established his practice in Houston. After his first wife, Katherine (Groesbeck) of Philadelphia, died in 1900, he married George Cook Plunkett of Waco. Red was a county physician of Harris County, one of the organizers of the Harris County Medical Society, a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and president of the Texas Medical Association. With his uncle, Dr. David F. Stuart, S.C. Red established the first hospital in Houston. He supervised the first nurses’ training school in Houston and introduced an ambulance service there. He was said to have been the first surgeon in the United States to use the Whiting method of treatment for hip fracture and the first in Houston to use the X-ray, to perform an appendectomy, to repair a hernia, and to use diphtheria antitoxin. Red wrote Biographical Sketch of Ashbel Smith (1929) and A Brief History of the First Presbyterian Church, Houston, Texas, 1839-1939 (1939). He contributed many articles to scientific journals. He died in Houston in 1940.  (Taken directly from The Texas Handbook Online)