The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if a difference exists between male and female superintendents in rural Texas elementary schools in terms of student academic achievement measured through performance on the 3rd grade State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. The study engages one research question for math and superintendent gender and one research question for reading and superintendent gender. The sample population totaled 183 superintendents, 33 females and 150 males. An independent sample t-test was used to complete the causal-comparative research study. The findings did not show a significant difference between STAAR reading scores and superintendent gender, but they did reveal a significant difference in STAAR math scores and superintendent gender. One conclusion cautiously drawn is that superintendent gender in Texas schools has a significant relationship with student achievement in math but not in reading at least for one academic year. Before hiring a new superintendent and after identifying the academic needs of the district, school boards and headhunters should consider superintendent knowledge of curriculum and instruction as a factor impacting student academic achievement outcomes. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]