Enrollment
389
Middle
DISTRICT 573 · STATE 643
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PONDER ISD·NCES 483531011205
Ponder Junior High School
300 W BAILEY ST, PONDER, TX 76259 · (940) 479-8220 · Denton County
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE42-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL389 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
29 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.5:1 · STATE 14.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
44%
170 students
DISTRICT 42% · STATE 65%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 143 | 37% |
| Grade 7 | 120 | 31% |
| Grade 8 | 126 | 32% |
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
Ponder Junior High School→Ponder High School
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
45.0%
TX avg 54.5% . +16.0pp since 2020
Mathematics
49.0%
TX avg 45.3% . +14.0pp since 2020
What this means: On the STAAR, Texas's statewide test, about 45 of every 100 students at this school read at grade level and about 49 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Texas schools, those numbers are about 55 and 45. Reading scores are up about 16 points since 2020, while math scores are up about 14 points.
Performance levels, 2025-26
| Subject | Masters Grade Level | Meets Grade Level | Approaches Grade Level | Did Not Meet Grade Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 19.0% | 26.0% | 31.0% | 24.0% |
| Mathematics | 14.0% | 35.0% | 24.0% | 27.0% |
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 | 45.0% | 49.0% |
| 2024-25 | 51.0% | 43.0% |
| 2023-24 | 51.0% | 54.0% |
| 2022-23 | 41.0% | 52.0% |
| 2021-22 | 41.0% | 42.0% |
| 2020-21 | 29.0% | 35.0% |
% 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
45.7%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
55.0%
based on TX schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-9.3pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 46% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 55% 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 →
Where Ponder Junior High School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Texas | In Denton County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.7% | #669 of 1,635 | #25 of 44 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 49.0% | #582 of 1,670 | #23 of 47 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #1,287 of 1,670 | #43 of 47 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +0.5pp | #1,323 of 1,570 | #39 of 44 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 389 | #1,284 of 1,749 | #45 of 47 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.3:1 | #435 of 1,542 | #13 of 47 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 52.7% | #797 of 1,543 | #43 of 47 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 43.7% | #1,255 of 1,648 | #19 of 44 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +14.1% | #195 of 437 | #10 of 17 |
Ranked against other public middle 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.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
389
-1 (0%) vs 2020
+26% since 2010-11, when it was 309
Student : Teacher
13.3:1
was 15.6:1
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 | 389 | 29.2 | 13.3:1 | 44% (170) |
| 2023-24 | 367 | 27.1 | 13.5:1 | 42% (154) |
| 2022-23 | 381 | 24 | 15.9:1 | 40% (152) |
| 2020-21 | 390 | 25 | 15.6:1 | 39% (154) |
| 2017-18 | 341 | 21.5 | 15.8:1 | 37% (126) |
| 2015-16 | 282 | 21 | 13.4:1 | 39% (109) |
| 2010-11 | 309 | 21 | 14.7:1 | 35% (107) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ponder Junior High School.
About Ponder Junior High School
Ponder Junior High School is a small middle school that serves part of PONDER, Texas. The school offers grades 6 through 8 and enrolls 389 students. On average, middle schools in Texas enroll around 643, and this school is 40% below that mark.
The 3 schools of PONDER ISD, including Ponder Junior High School, enroll 1,719 students.
The largest group at Ponder Junior High School is White students, at 57%. The remaining students are 39% Hispanic and 2% multiracial. Denton County residents are about 57% White, a similar share. The diversity index for Ponder Junior High School is 53%. For US public schools as a whole it is 70%.
Ponder Junior High School reports a ratio of 13.3 students per teacher, from 29.2 full-time-equivalent teachers. Across middle schools in Texas, the average ratio is 14.4:1. Lunch program data show 44% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The average for public schools in Denton County is 35%.
Based on student poverty, the model expects 55.0% at Ponder Junior High School; the school's average proficiency rate across its state test results is 45.7%.
In Denton County, home to about 979,561 people, median household income comes to about $111,498, 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 4% of people live in poverty. There are 267 public schools in the county, enrolling about 175,222, Ponder Junior High School among them.
Ponder Elementary School, about 0.2 miles away, is the closest public school. Counting only straight-line distance, 2 other public schools are within five miles. On state test proficiency, Ponder Junior High School ranks 6th in a group of 9 nearby schools.
The school is in rural territory some distance from an urban area, according to its NCES locale (Rural: Distant).
Enrollment has been fairly stable: 390 in 2020-21 and 389 in 2024-25. By 2024-25, the school had 13.3 students per teacher, compared with 15.6 in 2020-21.
Ponder Junior High School has a community page on allk12 for topics such as pickup and drop-off, after-school programs, and teacher feedback. Teachers and staff are welcome to share updates too.
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 High SchoolHigh · 557 students
- Denton Co J J Alternative Education ProgramElementary
Other schools in PONDER
- Ponder Elementary SchoolElementary · 773 students
- Ponder High SchoolHigh · 557 students
Nearby schools
- Ponder Elementary School0.2 mi · 773
- Ponder High School0.4 mi · 557
- Jane Ruestmann Elementary School5.4 mi · 846
- Lance Thompson Elementary School5.8 mi · 701
- Argyle West6.0 mi · 643
- Dyer Elementary School6.2 mi · 361
Frequently asked questions
About Ponder Junior High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Ponder Junior High School?
Ponder Junior High School enrolls approximately 389 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does Ponder Junior High School serve?
Ponder Junior High School serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ponder Junior High School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at Ponder Junior High School is approximately 13.3:1 (29 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at Ponder Junior High School?
At Ponder Junior High School, the student body is approximately 57% White, 39% Hispanic, 1% Black, 0% Asian, 2% Two or more.
What district is Ponder Junior High School in?
Ponder Junior High School is part of PONDER ISD.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.