Bessie Coleman Middle, Cedar Hill TX

Original Research by School Decision on Bessie Coleman Middle

Bessie Coleman Middle is a regular public middle school in Cedar Hill serving grades six through eight. The school enrolls a substantial number of students, with the plurality identified as Black, a meaningful share as Hispanic, and smaller numbers of other racial and ethnic groups. About three-quarters of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a student body with significant economic need.

State assessment results show proficiency that sits below the midpoint relative to other districts in Dallas County across tested subjects and grades. In English language arts, proficiency runs modestly higher, with meaningful shares of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students meeting grade-level standards, though gains to mastery remain limited. Mathematics proficiency is considerably lower, with very few sixth and seventh graders meeting standards; eighth grade shows improvement but still modest results. Science and social studies proficiency in eighth grade are also low, each showing single-digit to low double-digit percentages of students at grade level. The school's overall proficiency index places it below the typical Dallas County school.

Cedar Hill ISD, the district housing this school, has made significant changes in recent years. Voters approved a major bond for facility improvements including STEM and fine arts upgrades. The district is rolling out a Choice Program initiative with specialized academies across campuses by the 2026-27 school year. Notably, Bessie Coleman itself is launching a STEAM middle-school academy focused on environmental science and engineering, open to district and surrounding-community students by application. This represents a targeted pathway for students seeking structured STEM learning alongside their core academics.

The Cedar Hill area sits in a region where median home values have declined modestly year-over-year, and median rents similarly show slight recent decreases. The affordability landscape shows housing that costs roughly three to four times median household income, with monthly mortgage estimates lower than rent-to-income ratios would suggest given current mortgage rates.

A parent considering Bessie Coleman would be looking at a middle school in transition, with low current proficiency but concrete district investment in STEM programming and themed learning pathways that may reshape the experience over the next year or two. The environmental science and engineering academy opening at the school represents a concrete programmatic addition. The broader context of Title I status data was not available, so a parent may want to look into the school's specific support services and resources directly with the school. Test results and the current academic profile suggest students entering the school are below grade level in most areas, a reality worth understanding as a family considers placement and what academic support and challenge look like here.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 615%

School 15% · District 23% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 15 pts below county median

Grade 711%

School 11% · District 13% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · ▼ 1 pts below county median

Grade 820%

School 20% · District 38% · ▼ 18 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · ▼ 17 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 638%

School 38% · District 47% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 14 pts below state median · ▼ 6 pts below county median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 50% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 49% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Science

Grade 821%

School 21% · District 34% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 21 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Social studies

Grade 812%

School 12% · District 25% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolCEDAR HILL ISD, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income53%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income42%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income57%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income9%Higher-income21%12 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income11%Higher-income11%0 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income15%Higher-income25%10 pp gap