Ponder High School
Public high school in Ponder, Texas · Ponder ISD · Grades 9–12
Ponder High School serves 557 students in grades 9–12 in Ponder (Denton County). It is one of 3 schools in Ponder ISD. By enrollment it is the 841st largest of 1,920 public high schools in Texas (median 457 students). With 12.4 students per full-time teacher, it has fewer students per teacher than the typical Texas high school (14).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,920 Texas high schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 44.93 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | High |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| District | Ponder ISD |
| County | Denton County |
| Area type | Rural, distant |
| School meals | National School Lunch Program, free or reduced price for eligible students |
| NCES school ID | 483531003992 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 directory and school characteristics; area type from NCES EDGE locale codes.
Compared with the district and Texas
| This school | Ponder ISD | Texas high schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 557 | 1,719 | 457 |
| Students per teacher | 12.4 | 13.6 | 14 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 37.2% | 42.3% | 63.8% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 36% of Texas high schools have fewer students per teacher than this school (share of schools with a lower ratio). State test results aren't published here yet.
Ponder High School in context
Size
Ponder High School is the only high school in Ponder ISD. Its 557 students are 32.4% of the district's 1,719. Its 8 closest high schools sit a median 10.4 miles away with a median enrollment of 425; Ponder High School is larger than most of them.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 enrollment and school type. Share of district students = this school's students ÷ the district's students. Nearest schools by straight-line distance between NCES EDGE locations.
Grades
Its largest grade is grade 10 with 154 students, and its smallest is grade 12 with 123, against an average of 139 per grade. This year grade 12 has 13% fewer students than grade 9 (123 against 142). Each grade is a different group of students, so the gap is not a dropout or growth rate.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership by grade.
Students
The largest group is White students: 57.1% here and 56.5% across Ponder ISD. Hispanic students are next, at 36.4%. Students from 6 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
37.2% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 42.3% across Ponder ISD and a median of 63.8% for Texas high schools. Families apply for free or reduced-price meals, and eligibility depends on household income.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership and school lunch program data. District shares weight each school by its enrollment.
Teachers
With 44.93 full-time-equivalent teachers for 557 students, Ponder High School has 12.4 students per teacher. At the median Texas high school ratio of 14, a school with 557 students would have about 39.8 teachers, so Ponder High School has 5.1 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas high schools (14).
Location
Ponder High School is in rural territory 5 to 25 miles from an urbanized area, or 2.5 to 10 miles from a town, which NCES calls rural, distant. The nearest other high school is Krum High School, 6.8 miles away in Krum ISD. Within 10 miles there are 4 other high schools, 0 of them within 5 miles.
Source: NCES EDGE school locations and locale codes, 2024-25. Distances are straight lines.
Students by race and ethnicity
| White | 57.1% |
| Hispanic | 36.4% |
| Two or more races | 3.4% |
| Black | 1.8% |
| Asian | 0.7% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.5% |
48.1% of students are girls and 51.9% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 9 | 142 |
| Grade 10 | 154 |
| Grade 11 | 138 |
| Grade 12 | 123 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
500 W Bailey, Ponder, TX 76259
Phone: (940)479-8312
Website: ponderisd.net
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Ponder High School. Blue: the nearest high schools.
Nearby high schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krum High School | Krum ISD | 6.8 mi | 776 | 14.3 | 31.2% |
| Denton High School | Denton ISD | 8.8 mi | 2,083 | 14.5 | 53.9% |
| Argyle High School | Argyle ISD | 9.3 mi | 1,644 | 16.5 | – |
| Fred Moore High School | Denton ISD | 10.0 mi | 67 | 10.1 | 61.2% |
| Denton County JJAEP | Denton ISD | 10.8 mi | 10 | – | – |
| Denton County JJAEP | Lewisville ISD | 10.8 mi | 16 | 1.9 | 81.3% |
| Joe Dale Sparks Campus | Denton ISD | 10.9 mi | 73 | 4.9 | 41.1% |
| Northwest High School | Northwest ISD | 11.1 mi | 2,672 | 17.2 | – |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Distance in a straight line between NCES EDGE locations.
Other schools in Ponder ISD
| School | Level | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ponder Elementary School | Elementary | Pre-K–5 | 773 |
| Ponder Junior High School | Middle | 6–8 | 389 |