The top reported proficiency rate is 38% in English language arts. The lowest is 0% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Nova Academy Cedar Hill
Nova Academy Cedar Hill is a small charter elementary school located in Dallas serving children from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. The school enrolls roughly a hundred students, with the largest cohort in pre-kindergarten and steadily smaller classes as grade level increases; by fourth grade, only a handful of students remain. This pattern, combined with the school's recent institutional instability, shapes what a family considering enrollment should understand.
The student body is predominantly Black, with a much smaller Hispanic population and no other racial representation reported. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a community with substantial economic need. Data on special education enrollment and English learner status was not available.
On state testing, the school shows weak results. In third-grade English language arts, roughly four in ten students tested at proficient levels in 2024. Third-grade mathematics proficiency was zero. Results for fourth grade are sparse, with only a handful of students tested and insufficient data to report proficiency rates. Science testing from a prior year showed zero proficiency among students tested. Overall, the school's proficiency rate across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quartile among districts in Dallas County.
A parent should look into these test results directly with the school to understand the context: whether the small cohort sizes make year-to-year swings large, what instructional changes may be underway, and what the school views as drivers of these numbers. The very small enrollment in upper grades also raises a practical question about whether students stay through elementary or move elsewhere.
The more pressing stability concern is institutional. Nova Academy withdrew a Texas Education Agency application to permanently close and transfer its students to a sister charter elsewhere in Dallas County. Even though the school remains open and the closure attempt was withdrawn in 2026, this signals real uncertainty about the district's viability. A very small charter serving fewer than a hundred students has limited financial and operational cushion. After a multi-year gap during litigation, the state released A-F accountability ratings again in 2025, restoring a public measure parents can use to track the school's performance going forward.
The school is located in Dallas, a large North Texas city with significant corporate presence and ongoing residential growth. Housing values in the area are below the state average and have declined modestly year-over-year. The city offers parks, a public library system, and DART transit, though most daily errands outside walkable neighborhoods require a car.
For a family considering this school, the low test scores and institutional instability are the central facts. If the school offers a specific instructional model or community focus that matters to the family, it would be worth discussing directly with leadership what they attribute the test performance to and what their enrollment trajectory looks like. But enrollment in a school that recently attempted to close carries real risk.
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