1
What's the vibe like in the hallways at PONDER H S right now?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
557
High
DISTRICT 573 · STATE 796
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PONDER ISD·NCES 483531003992
Ponder High School
500 W BAILEY, PONDER, TX 76259 · (940) 479-8312 · Denton County
GRADES 09–12HIGH42-RURALREGULAR SCHOOL557 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 73% of Texas public high schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- BBeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B+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 high schools
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
45 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 15.1:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
37%
207 students
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 65%
Community
1
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | 142 | 25% |
| Grade 10 | 154 | 28% |
| Grade 11 | 138 | 25% |
| Grade 12 | 123 | 22% |
Student demographics
54%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
Feeds from
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
65.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +41.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
55.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +17.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 65 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 55 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 41 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 17 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 13.0% | 52.0% | 17.0% | 18.0% |
| Mathematics | 14.0% | 41.0% | 35.0% | 10.0% |
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 | 65.0% | 55.0% |
| 2024-25 | 69.0% | 41.0% |
| 2023-24 | 74.0% | 57.0% |
| 2022-23 | 26.0% | 46.0% |
| 2021-22 | 18.0% | 17.0% |
| 2020-21 | 24.0% | 38.0% |
% 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
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
65.9%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
57.8%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+8.1pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 66% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 58% typical for Texas schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Texas's top nor bottom 10%.
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 High School
Ponder High School's state test result (65.9% proficient) is higher than 3 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponder High School this school | 557 | 37.2% | 65.9% |
| Robinson High School ROBINSON | 725 | 36.7% | 68.5% |
| Joshua H S Ninth Grade Campus JOSHUA | 467 | 39.6% | 68.6% |
| Sanger High School SANGER | 827 | 37.1% | 61.0% |
| Bandera High School BANDERA | 664 | 41.4% | 50.0% |
| Troy High School TROY | 502 | 40.8% | 60.3% |
Matched among Texas high 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 High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Denton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 65.9% | #338 of 1,385 | #9 of 24 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 55.0% | #415 of 1,425 ▲ 283 | #12 of 29 ▲ 6 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 65.0% | #488 of 1,425 ▼ 149 | #16 of 29 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +24.0pp | #292 of 1,184 | #9 of 27 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 557 | #837 of 2,107 | #25 of 39 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 12.4:1 | #335 of 1,344 | #1 of 29 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 54.0% | #545 of 1,346 | #29 of 29 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 37.2% | #1,258 of 1,522 | #11 of 24 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +33.3% | #119 of 672 | #6 of 19 |
Ranked against other public high 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
557
+77 (+16%) vs 2020
+203% since 1990-91, when it was 184
Student : Teacher
12.4:1
was 14.6:1
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 | 557 | 44.9 | 12.4:1 | 37% (207) |
| 2023-24 | 536 | 42.9 | 12.5:1 | 39% (207) |
| 2022-23 | 505 | 40.5 | 12.5:1 | 36% (183) |
| 2020-21 | 480 | 33 | 14.6:1 | 33% (157) |
| 2017-18 | 418 | 30.1 | 13.9:1 | 28% (115) |
| 2015-16 | 396 | 28 | 14.1:1 | 32% (127) |
| 2010-11 | 335 | 28 | 12.0:1 | 23% (77) |
| 2000-01 | 278 | 33 | 8.4:1 | 12% (34) |
| 1990-91 | 184 | 17 | 10.8:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ponder High School.
Since 2017-18: students up 33% (418 to 557); teachers up 49% (30.1 to 44.9).
About Ponder High School
Ponder High School, a small high school, is located in PONDER, Texas. In all, 557 students attend the school in grades 9 through 12. That puts enrollment 30% below the 796-student average for high schools in Texas.
Ponder High School is one school in PONDER ISD, a system of 3 schools with 1,719 students.
About 57% of the student body at Ponder High School is White. Smaller groups are 36% Hispanic and 3% multiracial. Denton County residents are about 57% White, a similar share. Its diversity index, the chance that two randomly chosen students belong to different racial or ethnic groups, is 54%.
The school's 44.9 full-time-equivalent teachers translate to a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.4:1. The average for high schools in Texas is 15.1:1, so this school has fewer students per teacher. At Ponder High School, 37% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024-25. That is in line with the 35% average for public schools in Denton County.
Among Texas public high schools, Ponder High School outscored 73%, which works out to a B+ on the allk12 Grade.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 57.8% at Ponder High School; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 65.9%.
In the wider Denton County area, the median household earns about $111,498 a year, a bachelor's degree or higher is held by about 49% of adults, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 4%. Ponder High School shares Denton County with 266 other public schools.
Among nearby public schools, Ponder Elementary School is closest at about 0.3 miles. Other public schools within five miles number 2. Nearby schools with test data average 53.9% proficiency; Ponder High School posts 65.9%.
By NCES locale, the school is Rural: Distant, or in rural territory some distance from an urban area.
Federal enrollment counts increased from 480 (2020-21) to 557 (2024-25). Students per teacher dropped from 14.6 in 2020-21 to 12.4 in 2024-25.
Anyone can start a thread about open houses, carpools, and field trips at Ponder High School. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to post.
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 Elementary SchoolElementary · 773 students
- Ponder Junior High SchoolMiddle · 389 students
- Denton Co J J Alternative Education ProgramElementary
Other schools in PONDER
- Ponder Elementary SchoolElementary · 773 students
- Ponder Junior High SchoolMiddle · 389 students
Nearby schools
- Ponder Elementary School0.3 mi · 773
- Ponder Junior High School0.4 mi · 389
- Jane Ruestmann Elementary School5.6 mi · 846
- Lance Thompson Elementary School6.0 mi · 701
- Argyle West6.2 mi · 643
- Dyer Elementary School6.4 mi · 361
Frequently asked questions
About Ponder High SchoolHow many students attend Ponder High School?
Ponder High School enrolls approximately 557 students in grades 09-12.
Is Ponder High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Ponder High School is a high school covering grades 09-12.
How many teachers does Ponder High School have?
Ponder High School employs 45 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 12.4:1.
What is the student diversity at Ponder High School?
Student demographics at Ponder High School are roughly 57% White, 36% Hispanic, 2% Black, 1% Asian, 3% Two or more.
What district is Ponder High School in?
Ponder High School is part of PONDER ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.