Ponder Junior High School
Public middle school in Ponder, Texas · Ponder ISD · Grades 6–8
Ponder Junior High School serves 389 students in grades 6–8 in Ponder (Denton County). It is one of 3 schools in Ponder ISD. By enrollment it is the 1280th largest of 1,719 public middle schools in Texas (median 639 students). With 13.3 students per full-time teacher, it has fewer students per teacher than the typical Texas middle school (14.4).
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Rank and medians compare all 1,719 Texas middle schools with enrollment listed on this site.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Students per teacher = students ÷ 29.17 full-time-equivalent teachers.
School facts
| School type | Regular School |
| Level | Middle |
| Grades | 6–8 |
| 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 | 483531011205 |
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 middle schools (median) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | 389 | 1,719 | 639 |
| Students per teacher | 13.3 | 13.6 | 14.4 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch eligible | 43.7% | 42.3% | 65.6% |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. District figures add up its schools. 32% of Texas middle 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 Junior High School in context
Size
Ponder Junior High School is the only middle school in Ponder ISD. Its 389 students are 22.6% of the district's 1,719. Its 8 closest middle schools sit a median 9.2 miles away with a median enrollment of 856; Ponder Junior High School is smaller 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 6 with 143 students, and its smallest is grade 7 with 120, against an average of 130 per grade. This year grade 8 has 12% fewer students than grade 6 (126 against 143). 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: 56.6% here and 56.5% across Ponder ISD. Hispanic students are next, at 39.1%. Students from 6 of the 7 race and ethnicity groups NCES reports are enrolled.
43.7% of its students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, against 42.3% across Ponder ISD and a median of 65.6% for Texas middle 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 29.17 full-time-equivalent teachers for 389 students, Ponder Junior High School has 13.3 students per teacher. At the median Texas middle school ratio of 14.4, a school with 389 students would have about 27 teachers, so Ponder Junior High School has 2.2 more.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25. Expected teachers = this school's students ÷ the median students per teacher of Texas middle schools (14.4).
Location
Ponder Junior 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 middle school is Krum Middle School, 6.3 miles away in Krum ISD. Within 10 miles there are 5 other middle 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 | 56.6% |
| Hispanic | 39.1% |
| Two or more races | 2.3% |
| Black | 1% |
| American Indian or Alaska Native | 0.8% |
| Asian | 0.3% |
49.9% of students are girls and 50.1% are boys.
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Students by grade
| Grade 6 | 143 |
| Grade 7 | 120 |
| Grade 8 | 126 |
Source: NCES CCD 2024-25 membership.
Location and contact
300 W Bailey St, Ponder, TX 76259
Phone: (940)479-8220
Locations: NCES EDGE. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Red: Ponder Junior High School. Blue: the nearest middle schools.
Nearby middle schools
| School | District | Distance | Students | Per teacher | Free/reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Krum Middle School | Krum ISD | 6.3 mi | 569 | 15.4 | 39.7% |
| Argyle 6th Grade Center | Argyle ISD | 7.3 mi | 492 | 17.9 | – |
| Argyle Middle School | Argyle ISD | 8.2 mi | 969 | 18.6 | – |
| Calhoun Middle School | Denton ISD | 8.9 mi | 852 | 13.3 | 64.8% |
| McMath Middle School | Denton ISD | 9.5 mi | 644 | 11.6 | 55% |
| Strickland Middle School | Denton ISD | 10.3 mi | 956 | 13.7 | 65.7% |
| Harpool Middle School | Denton ISD | 10.8 mi | 860 | 14.8 | 14.9% |
| Gene Pike Middle School | Northwest ISD | 11.1 mi | 1,137 | 16.3 | 28.8% |
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 High School | High | 9–12 | 557 |