Cedar Hill ISD Delivers Substantial Gains Across Grade Levels

Cedar Hill ISD made substantial year-over-year gains in reading and math across grade levels on this year’s STAAR exam. And Superintendent Gerald Hudson believes he knows the reason why.

Third grade students in Cedar Hill made a nine-percentage-point gain in reading and a 12-percentage-point gain in math. And they weren’t alone in this impressive improvement. Fifth-grade students also improved, up five percentage points in reading and 12 percentage points in math. Eighth grade students delivered an eight-percentage-point increase in reading and a phenomenal 17-percentage-point increase in math scores.

“When we talk about what has the greatest impact on student achievement: Number one? Teachers,” says Hudson. “When you have great teachers in front of kids, our kids have the ability to learn. And that’s what it’s all about.”

Hudson’s faith in his teachers reflects his teachers’ faith in their students.

“The students here in Cedar Hill ISD are fantastic,” beams teacher Irene Cardoso. “When compared to our region and when compared to the state, my students are blowing away the competition.”

The Secret to Cedar Hill’s Success

One ingredient in Cedar Hill’s success is clearly its culture. From the superintendent to the teachers to the students themselves, everyone has embraced a culture of success. And Cedar Hill’s students get more and earlier exposure to that culture thanks to the district's adoption of full-day pre-K in 2017. The first class to experience full-day pre-K was in third grade last year and took the STAAR.

With additional teacher and student support through the adoption of high-quality instructional materials in the 2022-2023 school year, Cedar Hill’s teachers and students showed that when it comes to academic success, they can deliver.