History

Knapp Elementary is named after Warren Ezra Knapp (1850-1918). Warren Knapp served as principal in Denver Public Schools for 29 years.  He was born in Westmoreland, NY. He attended Whitestown Seminary in NY and Cornell University.  Before coming to Denver, he was a principal at schools in Savannah, Westmoreland, and Madison, NY. After he came to Denver in 1884, he became the first principal of Franklin School, a position he held for thirteen years.   He then served as Superintendent of Schools for Arapahoe County before he was appointed principal of Cheltenham Elementary.  He served at Cheltenham for sixteen years.

The school was opened September 5, 1956 and is located in the center of a bilingual community in the Westwood area of west Denver. The student body consists of 629 students from Early Childhood Education through Grade Five. The population of Knapp is represented by 95% Hispanic, 2% White and 3% Unknown with 96% of the population receiving free or reduced lunch. 75% of these students are English Language Learners.

Our mascot, a knight and character shield was developed in 1999. In the same year we started requiring students to wear a uniform shirt to school each day. In 2008 we started the PBIS team and came up with our CHARGE motto (C challenge yourself, H help one another, A accept responsibility, R respect others, G give your best, E excel).

Knapp went from a “red” (low performing) school to a “green” (meeting expectations) school in 2008. Due to staff retention, a strong RTI program, and purposeful professional development we have been able to maintain our academic growth.

Through our school’s restorative justice program and Positive Behavior Intervention Support model we aim to create a positive and equitable environment. A culture of responsibility and personal accountability is arrived through our restorative justice program, Teachers and staff work together to create a positive school and classroom climate through PBIS that encourages excellent student behavior and promotes positive interactions between students and between students and staff. All students participate in the CHARGE program. In addition, each month we study one of eight identified character traits then recognize students at a school wide assembly who have demonstrated these traits throughout the month.