The superintendent of Atlanta's public schools will leave office when her contract expires in June.

Beverly Hall said in a statement Saturday that she'll be taking on "new educational challenges" after leaving office, but she did not elaborate. Her announcement was first reported by WSB-TV.

Hall took the city's top education post in 1999. She cited rising student test scores as a sign of progress during her tenure.

She was named the 2009 Superintendent of the Year by the American Association of School Administrators, largely for her work increasing the district's test scores and graduation rates.

But critics had called for her firing after investigators found evidence of cheating on standardized tests in at least a dozen of the city's schools.

Tags: CRCT, superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools, CRCT testing scandal, Bevery Hall