State Superintendent of Schools Kathy Cox announced nine Hall County schools won the second annual Superintendent’s Distinguished Achievement Award.

The awards honor schools for high achievement and marked improvement on state tests. "These awards are just a small way of saying ‘thank you’ for the hard work put in by our teachers, students and school communities," Cox said in a news release.

The award is based on students’ performance on Criterion-Referenced Competency Tests, the Georgia High School Graduation Test, the End-of-Course Tests and state writing tests. The award honors schools that had the greatest improvement in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding standards, as well as schools that had the highest percentage of students score in the exceeds category in each honored subject area and grade.

The Hall County school winners were announced Tuesday.

Chicopee Woods Elementary and Lula Elementary first graders improved reading scores, along with Sugar Hill Elementary third-graders and Myers Elementary fourth-graders. Tadmore Elementary second-graders improved math scores.

Flowery Branch High received accolades for achievement in biology and improvement in biology. Chestatee High won the award for improvement in biology, while East Hall High improved literature and composition scores for ninth-graders.

Lanier Career Academy improved scores in American literature, mathematics and science.