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School History

🏫 About Our History

Rufus Cage Elementary: Over a Century of Service and Legacy 

Old Cage Building

Rufus Cage Elementary has proudly served the Houston community for over a century. The school’s roots trace back to 1907, when it

first opened as the Kirby School, named after W.A. Kirby—a District 21 school board member.

The land for the school was generously donated in 1894 by Rufus Cage, a long-time Houston school board president. In 1910, the school moved from a one-room schoolhouse into a new four-room brick building and was officially renamed Cage Elementary in his honor.

Rufus Cage

By 1914, Cage joined the newly formed Houston Independent School District (HISD). Between 1914 and 1925, the school briefly closed to serve as housing for agricultural families. Thanks to a passionate group of local mothers—led by H.C. Lane, W.A. Kirby’s daughter—the school was reopened and continued its educational mission.

In 1983, Cage Elementary relocated to its current campus. The original four-room building still stands at 1417 Telephone Road and is used today as a warehouse for school supplies. Remarkably, it is still owned by the descendants of Rufus Cage, who continue to allow HISD to use the building as long as it serves a purpose within the school system.

Cage Elementary in 1989