[5] The 1980 Houston/Harris County Metropolitan Area Southwest-Westpark Corridor Transitway Alternatives: Environmental Impact Statement of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration described Poe as "a thriving, well-integrated magnet school".

It earned National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) accreditation in 1991, making it the first parent cooperative preschool to do so.

Poe-Co moved from the Poe Elementary grounds after HISD removed private preschools from public school properties.

[8] The Poe Elementary School bombing occurred on September 15, 1959, when a man named Paul Orgeron detonated a bomb during recess at Poe Elementary School, killing himself, a teacher (Jennie Katharine Kolter), a custodian (James Arlie Montgomery, for which Montgomery Elementary was named[9]), and three 7-year-old boys (Billy Hawes, Jr., John Fitch, Jr., and Dusty Paul, Orgeron's son).

Poe Elementary School gained the portion of the Will Rogers zoning boundary that was east of Weslayan.

[20] Poe's sister schools are River Oaks, Briscoe, Field, Henderson, and Wharton elementaries, which all share the same floor plan.

[21] The school library, previously consisting solely of the area of three classrooms, received an over $80,000 renovation and expansion in 2002.

Parents and other area residents contributed $50,000 while the parent-teacher organization (PTO) held fundraisers and other events to generate $40,000.

[1] The school has dance, music, Suzuki violin, and visual art classes as part of its magnet program.

The carnival raises funds to cover budget gaps not supported by HISD or by the State of Texas.

[30] While the parents themselves administered the school and served as assistants in the classrooms, HISD provided the building space and the supporting utility and maintenance services.

[30] Then-HISD superintendent Billy Reagan suggested that a private preschool open on the grounds of Poe Elementary.

[35] The school serves multiple neighborhoods and areas:[36] Boulevard Oaks (including Broadacres),[37] Ranch Estates,[citation needed] Southampton,[38] Shadyside,[39] Rice Village,[citation needed] a portion of Neartown[40] (including sections of Montrose,[41] Castle Court, Dearborn Place, Richwood Place, and a portion of Lancaster Place[42]), portions of the Houston Museum District area,[43] a portion of Riverside Terrace,[44] and a portion of Upper Kirby (areas of the district located west of Edloe and north of Westpark, residential areas located east of Edloe, west of Kirby, and north of U.S. Route 59, and residential areas east of Kirby).

[49] All residents of the Poe attendance boundary are zoned to Mirabeau B. Lamar High School in Upper Kirby.