Genoa Elementary's history dates back to the 1890s. The school began in the upstairs part of an old store on Galveston Road. A new school was built in 1900, but was razed during the Great Storm of 1900. In 1914, a two-story brick building was erected in the current spot.

During the 1930s, the Parent Teacher Association purchased equipment for a cafeteria. In 1935-1937, Genoa School District became part of Pasadena Independent School District.  In 1936, a new building was built for the school and during 1937-1941, an auditorium and east wing were added to the campus. During 1948-1954, several renovations were made to the building including two rooms added to the east wing and an additional cafeteria wing. In 1963, the south wing/the office wing was added, the west wing was completed and the old cafeteria was torn down. That year, there were 21 teachers and 551 students at the school. Several years later during 1967-1969, air conditioning was installed in the building. 

Over the next several decades a gymnasium/auditorium was built, computers were installed in every classroom and all the sewer lines of the building were connected to the city sewer system. Structural problems and other hazards prompted the need for a new campus, which was approved by voters by an 8-1 margin as part of a $199.05 million bond issue in February 2000. A little over a year later, the new 64,600 square-foot campus was completed next door to the old building on Allen Genoa Road, which was later demolished. In the spring of 2008, fifth-grade students moved to Carter Lomax Middle School and Genoa began serving students in grades pre-kindergarten through fourth, with 900 total students. In 2012, an Action Based Learning Lab opened followed by the installation of a new playground in 2013. In 2020, the Lu Interactive playground was installed, along with a new roof. Over the years, the school has had three mascots: the Mighty Oaks, the Wildcats, and currently, the Owls. 

List of Principals

• Orval Williams 1935-1937
• RT Johnson 1937-1941
• R Coffman 1941-1942
• Pearl Bradshaw 1942-1973
• Gene Henson 1973-1977
• Erwin “Pete” Petersen 1977-1992
• Don Proffit 1992-1995
• Patrice Henson 1995-2007
• Tiffany Bennett 2007-present