All but one of the school districts in the Cedar Creek Lake Area "met standard," in 2014, according to the Texas Education Agency Accountability Report.

Athens Independent School District, Cross Roads ISD, Eustace ISD, Kemp ISD, Mabank ISD, and Malakoff ISD achieved successful testing, but Trinidad ISD rated "improvement required."

The news was especially good for Kemp ISD, which rated "improvement required" in 2013. School officials said they spent the summer of 2013 planning how to improve scores and carried out the strategy during the school year.

Ron Golen, a monitor appointed by TEA to help Kemp ISD told school district officials in June that preliminary scores showed they had succeeded. He praised the school district's administration for developing a "collaborative culture" that paid off.

All of the school districts, including Trinidad, achieved a "distinction designation" in certain academic areas.

The rating system includes "met standard, met alternative standard or improvement required."

Schools with the "improvement required" rating are appointed monitors for a two-year period or until scores are improved.