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What advice would you give to incoming students at PONDER EL?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
773
Elementary
DISTRICT 573 · STATE 519
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PONDER ISD·NCES 483531003991
Ponder Elementary School
401 W BAILEY, PONDER, TX 76259 · (940) 479-8320 · Denton County
GRADES PK–05ELEMENTARY42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL773 STUDENTS
D
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 13% of Texas public elementary schools
- C-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- FBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Texas public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
45%
350 students
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-K | 59 | 8% |
| Kindergarten | 102 | 13% |
| Grade 1 | 119 | 15% |
| Grade 2 | 114 | 15% |
| Grade 3 | 113 | 15% |
| Grade 4 | 124 | 16% |
| Grade 5 | 142 | 18% |
This year's kindergarten class (102) is 28% smaller than its 5th grade class (142).
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 53% · STATE 63% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Based on grade levels within PONDER ISD. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
STAAR 2025-26 . % Meets Grade Level or AboveReading
50.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +25.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
42.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +10.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 50 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 42 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 25 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 10 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 19.0% | 31.0% | 24.0% | 26.0% |
| Mathematics | 18.0% | 24.0% | 29.0% | 29.0% |
Share of tested students at each STAAR level. Each student counts in one level, so a row adds to about 100%.
STAAR results by year
| School year | Reading | Mathematics |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 50.0% | 42.0% |
| 2024-25 | 41.0% | 30.0% |
| 2023-24 | 37.0% | 36.0% |
| 2022-23 | 33.0% | 28.0% |
| 2021-22 | 41.0% | 32.0% |
| 2020-21 | 25.0% | 32.0% |
% Meets Grade Level or Above, all students and all tested grades.
Source: STAAR. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
UNDERPERFORMING
Bottom 10% of TX schools after controlling for student poverty
Actual proficiency
30.4%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
54.4%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-23.9pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 30% of students here test proficient in math and reading, below the roughly 54% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations compares each school with others at the same poverty level, not by raw scores, so a school lands here when its results trail those comparable schools, which is not the same as having low scores. A higher-scoring school can still fall in this tier if similar schools score higher still.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Ponder Elementary School
Ponder Elementary School's state test result (30.4% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponder Elementary School this school | 773 | 45.3% | 30.4% |
| Falcon Ridge Elementary School HUFFMAN | 677 | 45.8% | 34.9% |
| Smithville Elementary School SMITHVILLE | 694 | 45.5% | 42.0% |
| Miller Elementary School LUBBOCK | 675 | 41.2% | 64.2% |
| Seven Hills Elementary School RHOME | 707 | 43.3% | 39.8% |
| Reeves-Hinger Elementary School CANYON | 669 | 42.0% | 66.2% |
Matched among Texas elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Ponder Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Denton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 30.4% | #3,620 of 4,401 | #119 of 136 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 42.0% | #2,652 of 4,466 ▲ 1,123 | #94 of 138 ▲ 25 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 50.0% | #2,553 of 4,466 ▲ 894 | #104 of 138 ▲ 17 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +15.5pp | #843 of 3,998 | #25 of 129 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 773 | #545 of 4,938 | #11 of 145 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.9:1 | #2,343 of 4,622 | #97 of 141 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.3% | #2,108 of 4,628 | #119 of 141 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 45.3% | #3,776 of 4,789 | #61 of 143 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +18.0% | #475 of 1,307 | #18 of 48 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
773
+59 (+8%) vs 2020
+347% since 1990-91, when it was 173
Student : Teacher
14.9:1
was 13.2:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 773 | 51.9 | 14.9:1 | 45% (350) |
| 2023-24 | 773 | 51.7 | 15.0:1 | 46% (355) |
| 2022-23 | 754 | 49.7 | 15.2:1 | 44% (333) |
| 2020-21 | 714 | 54 | 13.2:1 | 45% (324) |
| 2017-18 | 655 | 46.1 | 14.2:1 | 43% (280) |
| 2015-16 | 596 | 44 | 13.6:1 | 46% (272) |
| 2010-11 | 583 | 43 | 13.6:1 | 44% (255) |
| 2000-01 | 437 | 41 | 10.7:1 | 24% (106) |
| 1990-91 | 173 | 15 | 11.5:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ponder Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 18% (655 to 773); teachers up 13% (46.1 to 51.9).
About Ponder Elementary School
The public elementary school Ponder Elementary School is located in PONDER, Texas. Students in pre-K through 5 attend, and enrollment is 773 students. The school's enrollment is 49% larger than the 519 average for elementary schools in Texas.
Ponder Elementary School is one of 3 schools in PONDER ISD, which enrolls 1,719 students in total.
By race and ethnicity, Ponder Elementary School is 56% White. The school is also 39% Hispanic and 4% multiracial. For comparison, Denton County is about 57% White. By the diversity index, Ponder Elementary School comes in at 53%.
The school's student-to-teacher ratio is about 14.9:1, with 51.9 full-time-equivalent teachers. Elementary schools in Texas average about 15.1:1, a similar figure. Students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch make up 45% of enrollment. For comparison, public schools in Denton County average 35%.
The allk12 Grade for Ponder Elementary School is D. Compared with Texas public elementary schools, the school scored higher than 13% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
BeatsExpectations places Ponder Elementary School in the bottom 10% of Texas schools. The measure fits a line through proficiency and free or reduced-price lunch share for each state, and this school sits 23.9 points below it (30.4% actual, 54.4% predicted).
Denton County has these Census figures: median household income is about $111,498, about 49% of adults have at least a bachelor's degree, and the poverty rate is about 4%. Ponder Elementary School is among the 267 public schools in Denton County.
The school nearest to Ponder Elementary School is Ponder Junior High School, at a distance of about 0.2 miles. Counting only straight-line distance, 2 other public schools are within five miles. Of the 9 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Ponder Elementary School is 9th on average proficiency.
The federal government classifies Ponder Elementary School's location as Rural: Distant.
Federal counts put enrollment at 714 in 2020-21 and 773 in 2024-25, an 8% rise. In 2020-21, the student-to-teacher ratio was 13.2:1; by 2024-25 it was 14.9:1.
Community posts for Ponder Elementary School can cover sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Denton County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
979,561
Census ACS
Median income
$111,498
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
49%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
4%
Below federal line
Schools in county
267
175,222 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in PONDER ISD
- Ponder High SchoolHigh · 557 students
- Ponder Junior High SchoolMiddle · 389 students
- Denton Co J J Alternative Education ProgramElementary
Other schools in PONDER
- Ponder High SchoolHigh · 557 students
- Ponder Junior High SchoolMiddle · 389 students
Nearby schools
- Ponder Junior High School0.2 mi · 389
- Ponder High School0.3 mi · 557
- Jane Ruestmann Elementary School5.4 mi · 846
- Lance Thompson Elementary School5.7 mi · 701
- Argyle West5.9 mi · 643
- Dyer Elementary School6.4 mi · 361
Frequently asked questions
About Ponder Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Ponder Elementary School?
Ponder Elementary School enrolls approximately 773 students in grades PK-05.
What age range does Ponder Elementary School serve?
Ponder Elementary School serves students from grade PK through grade 05.
How many teachers does Ponder Elementary School have?
Ponder Elementary School employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 14.9:1.
How diverse is Ponder Elementary School?
Ponder Elementary School reports a student body of 56% White, 39% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Who oversees Ponder Elementary School?
Ponder Elementary School is overseen by PONDER ISD in Denton County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.