Cedar Hill High School

I think Cedar Hill is an okay school. The ratio of students to kids is too high, however. My Sophmore has classes of 32 students or more to one teacher. Hard to be effective with that many kids.
—Submitted by a parent

Cedar Hill High School is, in my opinion, unique. Here you will find kids from a mix of rural, inner city, and exclusive suburb neighborhoods. Truly. There are aspects of an urban downtown school side-by-side with children who go home to $400,000-and-up homes and also kids from old Cedar Hill families who are active in FFA. So there is something for everyone. There is an excellent AP and concurrent program - it is possible to graduate with almost two years worth of college courses. My children were both taking math and language arts classes not one but two grade levels ahead while still staying in classes with same age peers. No other public or private school that I'm aware of does this. My kids score wonderfully on standardized tests because of this. Opportunities for active kids seem to be wide open for a 5A school. Diversity is a big plus.
—Submitted by a parent

This school is on steady decline. The students are very unfocused and the staff isn't all that great either. There are things in this school that need to be fixed, such as the bathroom stalls, but that seems to be a problem or not a proirity. They spend their money on other things. Not recommended.
—Submitted by Linda Linda, a former student

I am a parent and former teacher and feel like it is my duty to warn parents about this school. This school is out of control. The teachers are good, but the administrators are totally clueless and do not support the teachers like they should. The students have taken control and are running the school. Discipline doesn't exist. If you want your child to graduate and only read at an 8th grade level then Cedar Hill is the school for you. But if you want an education that prepares your child for college and for the real world, then avoid this school like the plague!
—Submitted by a teacher

Great school with excellent leadership.
—Submitted by a parent

This school has gotten out of contol with the kids behaviors!! I do not recommend this school to parents!!
—Submitted by a parent

Not enough discipline in classrooms, teachers too busy handling disciplinary problems instead of teaching. Teachers and priniciples don't listen to kids' complaints. Yes you have to be in the cliques in order to get playtime on fields in sports, etc. The school system has gone down hill over the years, feel due to poor leadership, been a resident of CH for over 18 years.
—Submitted by a parent

After attending grades 1-6 in a private school in Dallas, we moved to CH in order for our daughter to take advantage of what were at the time, great stats for the CH schools. Her private school offered superior education, respect and a disciplined atmosphere, but sadly lacked in a music program. We put her in CH at 7th grade, to be involved in the bands. It is very sad and quite amazing that in the years from 7th grade to now, as a senior, that the schools have deteriorated so drastically - regular gang violence/fights, complete lack of respect, and some of the worst test scores in the state. Now I wonder, was the band program worth it? Our other children will NOT be attending any CH schools and we are putting our home on the market and leaving CH. I have to agree with the former entries also.
—Submitted by a parent

Teachers and administrators do not return phone calls, they're always 'out of the office' -no response to any questions about their discpline- they make the decisions and parents do not even have the right to know what happened or to conference with the teacher. Extreme Civil Rrights Vionlations! Place students in and out of classes without parental contact and make ARD changes illegally. If your kid is not in honors, forget it- lower kids pull down the scores too much. You can't get your kid into extracurricular aactivities unless the teacher likes him/her, even if you've spent hundreds on private musis lessons- the band director actually told me to my face he would not order music for just one instrument. (drums?) PTA and boosters! One big clique. Considering CHHS? Run! I am a teacher in another district, I would not work here and do not recommend it. I moved!
—Submitted by a parent

This school is like going to any school in Oak Cliff or Pleasent Run. Many of the kids are not taught to respect authority and parents who expect that it is someone elses fault that these kids are such low achievers. My son and every one of his friends tell me the classes are a day care center for kids who do not want to learn. Instead they cause trouble and the teachers spend most of thier time trying to keep order. He takes honors classes and in those at least he is able to hear the teacher. This school district has plenty of problems. We need new leadership from the top down.
—Submitted by a parent

Our child has attended Cedar Hill schools since kindergarten and we have sadly watched the steady decline of a once good school district. After a year of large group fights coupled with overcrowded classrooms and overwhelmed teachers we have decided this will be our child's last year in Cedar Hill schools. If your child is bright, well-behaved and motivated to do well academically, don't send them here.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my daughter's second year at CHHS and she has been blessed to be in all Honors classes. CHHS is not different than any other school; they all have their share of problems to work through. Before we point the finger at the current administration, I believe it is would be affable to give them an opportunity to correct their inherited problems; one year is not ample time to do this. In addition, I commend the Honors teachers and counselors based on my experience at CHHS. I have, however decided to move my daughter for one reason and one reason only: all of her coursework is Honors classes and the traditional school day simply creates too much academic stress than the A/B day schedule. It is a decision I regret but I know my daughter will continue to excel in her new school because of her experience at CHHS.
—Submitted by a parent

What AP and G/T courses? Any kid can self elect into the program! The teachers end up teaching to the low end kids instead of to the high achievers. My son's A/P science teacher told me there were less than four kids that really belonged in that class, and that he spends most of his time on discipline. He said there are several students in that class that can't even read! The teachers aren't the problem - that begins at the top with Administration. Safety is another huge problem. We've had it and are moving over the summer.
—Submitted by a parent

I agree with the comments above related to Honors Classes. It's great if your child lands in them and also gets support and tracking if the child starts to fall behind. My experience is that they don't care enough to notify the parent or assure that the student gets into tutorials. Once the student fails he is left in the 'lower class' classes where they do not even get close to the same level of instruction. I have also witnessed first hand the sports over academics problem. They also have a discrepancy regarding the policy of facial hair in the sports department. If you look at the faces of the Varsity Teams there are mustaches and goatee's galore, yet the JV & Freshmen levels kids are being told not to come back unless they shave (Personal opinion of the coach reigns supreme and will be backed up if pursued higher.
—Submitted by a parent

This is my son's 2nd year at CHHS. This year is better than the year before due to the addition of our new principal. His new ideas and new approaches to situations are a breath of fresh air. However, the school is still overcrowded. My son has 37 kids in his Health class. He also has to carry all of his books back and forth to class because he can't make it to his locker without being late, due to the overcrowded halls. This makes for an extremely heavy pack. We need an additional High School now, not in 3-4 years.
—Submitted by Sandy Robinson, a parent

I currently go to CHHS (i'm a junior), i think it is one of the best schools in the area. This year we have a new principal and things are going great. Yes, we love sports, but academics are still number one
—Submitted by Whittney

I agree that the AP and honors programs are great here, and fortunately my child is in these classes. However, the elective classes he attends with the average students, have many students with behavioral problems, and the teachers spend a majority of their time trying to discipline, instead of on the learning process. Something needs to be done in this area- those students should have stricter punishments, as it deters the others from learning. Kudos to the choir department- keep up the good work.
—Submitted by a parent

Of the Highschools my children attended, I found this high school to be poorly ran and very sports minded. Sports were top priority and everything else was secondary. It seemed to me at that time the school was ran by the PE coaches as far as advancement and TAS scores was involved.
—Submitted by a parent

I am not a parent I am an alumni I greatly appreciated my education from Ceadr Hill High school. I want to someday go back and teach there myself.
—Submitted by a former student

We currently have a child who will graduate in 2004 from Cedar Hill High School and another in 2007. Cedar Hill provides an excellent education if you are in Honors or AP classes. The average student will fall through the cracks in this school district. The AP and Honors programs lean more to teacher recommendation than grades and far too much focus is given on the TAAS/TAKS tests on the elementary and intermediate levels. Honor Society is supposed to be based on academics, but you also need a teacher to recommend you to the program. New district policy of eliminating teaching positions in order to raise the level of entry teaching positions for minority teachers, we believe to be unethical. Teachers should be hired based on their teaching creditials, not whether or not a student can relate to them because of the colour of their skin. In a nut shell, if your student is lucky enough to be placed in honors and GT classes, they will be able to receive a well balanced, challenged and high quality education. Students on the 'average' level or below will be subject to unruliness in the classroom resulting in a disruptive learning atmosphere.